The Music Never Lies
by dear-broken-heart
Summary: Haley left, and decided not to come back, but no matter how hard she tries, she can't leave behind her past. Her secrets and her lies...
1. Introduction

_Disclaimer: I of course own nothing, and never will._

"Life is just a game, nobody follows the rules, and revenge is the only punishment for failure to comply to the rules set forth."

It was ironic. A dream she had only dreamed about for her whole life, finally come true. However, there was a catch. This catch was 6'3" with beautiful eyes, and a smile that could kill, at least when he wanted it to. His name was Chris, and he had played her heartstrings for over a month. He was her opportunity to breakout, be something other than the obedient girl she had always been. She wanted to follow him to New York, and oh did she ever wanted to accept the fact that the kiss had happened, and was real. It felt real.

However, she loved him. She loved him more than anything. And that him was Nathan. Her husband, her first Tree Hill love, and her rock. She loved him with all her heart, he was what kept her together in her time of weakness. However, she knew something left her unfulfilled, she knew something wasn't there. She wasn't complete without her music, something she felt only Chris could give her.

**Very short chapter as I want to know what everyone thinks. I'm not the best writer, so I always need help with ideas! R&R**


	2. You and Me

Here is where it gets a touch AU. I'm changing it, the kiss in the studio occurred just as it did in the show. Chris is planning on leaving…and that is what I leave you with….

by the way, I figure I'll make Chris 21 years old, why not. Lets be realistic here and make a character the age they look!

_**"For it was not into my ear you whispered, but into my heart. It was not my lips you kissed, but my soul."** _

He was packing up his stuff in a run down apartment above Main Street. It was the end of an era for Chris Keller. Six years in Tree Hill. Six years of being alone. Six years of being unknown. He'd finally gotten his chance, and he wasn't going to lose it.

A knock at the door interrupted him packing. "Coming," he shouted from the bedroom, replying to the quiet knock at the door. He heard shuffling feet as he reached for the knob, and then a quiet sniffle. He paused. He instantly knew who it was. "Haley," he whispered to himself. His hands started visibly shaking, he reached for the doorknob again, contemplating what he could say. Could he let his past interrupt him now, but was she his past? Technically it had been just hours before, but it was like he had lived through the scenario a million times in his head. He had kissed her. He had kissed her and all she did was push him away. He knew his chances were bad, but he also had a string of hope that maybe she'd at least come with him to New York. Just as all bad stories go, he was shot down yet again, maybe fate is just as fucked up as he had thought.

"Hey," she quietly said, with her trademark half smile.

"Well look who it is" he said in his cocky put-on attitude.He didn't want to shut her out, she was different. "Haley," he said, his tone changing. "I want you to come with me, please just think about it."

"Well, well, well. Someone's attitude has changed," she said in the best "Chris Keller" attitude she could put on. Truthfully, she didn't want him to leave, but she didn't want to leave Nathan either. She was torn, half of her wanting to follow her dream, and the other half wanting to give it up for Nathan. She'd test him, "Stay then," she said in a serious tone.

Chris' face was blank. He was left with a decision that he basically knew the answer to. It didn't take long however for him to realize he had posed the same question to her just seconds before, but in the reverse. Only he had nothing to leave behind, and refused to deny himself an opportunity for some fling. Especially a fling with a married girl, high school girl for that matter, even if he really did think he loved her. "You know the answer Haley," he finally replied.

"Fine," she replied. "I only came back to say thank you before you left anyway." It killed her to let him go without a fight, but she loved Nathan too much to abandon him for such a farfetched opportunity. "I'm not leaving the same way I left last time."

As she walked back down the hallway, he laid it on the line one last time, "at least leave your cell phone number Haley," he half begged leaning against the doorframe.

She turned around, staring deep into his eyes. What are his intentions, she wondered. "I don't know if that's a good idea," she replied.

He looked at her, his eyes somewhat pleading.

"Do you have a pen?" she questioned, caving in.

"Yeah, of course," he replied.

Taking the pen from his hands, she wrote her cell phone number on his hand. "I feel like such a girl," Chris laughed.

"You want the number or not?" she replied stopping five numbers in.

"Yes, sorry," he was quiet for a moment as she finished writing. "But I still feel like a girl," he added as she finished, laughing.

Haley turned around, almost forgetting to hand him back the pen. As she handed him the pen, they both held on for several seconds, until she let go and turned around walking back down the hallway. Chris went back inside, shutting the door behind him.

He leaned against the door staring around the empty apartment. He could see his suitcase in the bedroom from the living room. The apartment was basically bare, he had nothing to take with him really, and nothing to leave behind. His only past he'd planned to take with him was a notebook crammed with lyrics and failed attempts at creating the song that would bring him the fame he was looking for. Then again, he couldn't figure out why he was searching for that fame, why did he need to be accepted by the mainstream? He walked over and picked up the notebook off the worn out couch and stuffed it into a garbage bag he had systematically filled over the past two hours of packing.

Now he really was leaving the past behind.

"An hour to go he whispered," as he paced around the empty two rooms of the apartment. He was going to go crazy, trapped within the walls of that tiny apartment, waiting for his escape to the city. Once he was there he could fade in with the rest of the world, while, rather ironically, attempting to be something more. He decided to take a shower before he left, a fresh start in the literal sense.

The warm water dripped from the faucet to the tub, as not only the past was washed away, but also the number Haley had written on his hand less than an hour before. He scrubbed away in a fit of anger as the numbers quickly faded away. Everyone assumed he wanted Haley, everyone assumed he wanted to kill her relationship with Nathan on purpose. Nobody realized the turmoil that existed for him also. How did it feel to truly fall for a girl who was in love with someone else? He wanted her faint signals to be real, but at this point it seemed like moving on was the only option.

He shut the door behind him, undeniably leaving every piece of Tree Hill behind. Stepping onto that bus would be a little piece of heaven. He threw his stuff in the cab he had called a while before. He stared out the window at a perfect town, nobody seemed to have any fears. There were people at the café, drinking coffee and mindlessly talking about their uneventful lives.

"Direct to New York, boarding now," blared over the loudspeaker as he walked into station. He never turned around as he stepped onto the bus. Leaving the small town for the big city was his chance, and leaving it all behind seemed like the best way to leave.

Little did he know his six years of isolation could only give him six days of fame before his so called nonexistent past would get in the way.


	3. City Love

_Note: Ok, this is where OTH screwed up. The Wreckers are signed to the Maverick as is Tyler Hilton. So naturally you'd think they would send the character Chris to oh, say LA, where Maverick is ACTUALLY located. That way, the Wreckers management etc., would well, be there? Anyway, we'll have to make an office in New York as some division of Maverick (which there has to be in real life, right?). Sorry kids… _

_**"This is your life and it's ending one minute at a time."**_

Stepping off the bus, Chris felt lost in the bustle of people at the Port Authority. He was in New York, his dream city. A city filled with people, but he was more alone than ever. With his one small duffle bag in one hand, and guitar in the other, he stepped out into the city. It was 5 am after his almost 9 hour long bus ride. His long limbs hurt after being cramped in such an uncomfortable position for that amount of time. He was in no mood to sleep, but then again he had three hours before he could show up at the Maverick office.

New York was living up to its city that never sleeps reputation. Everything seemed open. He wandered into the Starbucks across the street, surrendering to corporate America. Walking up to the counter, he was dying for something that would just keep him awake. He stared at the menu listing every coffee on the planet. He had never been to Starbucks, as Tree Hill had remained local. "Can I just get a plain regular coffee?" he asked the way too awake barista.

"Surely sir, would you like Hazelnut, Caffe Verona, Coupage Del Sol, Guatemala Antiqua, Sumatra, or today's house blend?" she asked in an energetic tone. She was insanely annoying, but he decided to deal with it as she was kind of hot. The shoulder length blonde hair, t-shirt and jeans type.

"A regular coffee would be just great," he replied somewhat mockingly.

"Well which blend, sir?" she asked again with an even bigger smile.

"A coffee," he replied this time getting somewhat annoyed.

"House blend it is I guess," she mumbled, somewhat defeated.

"Thank you!" he replied, fully mocking her earlier tone this time. He could tell New York was going to be a blast already.

Staring at his beat up watch, it was now 5:15 am. He stared out the window, people walking by with briefcases so early in the morning. He was getting ready to pull out the spare notebook he had brought along but their was something about writing about nothing that he couldn't deal with at that point. He picked up his guitar case and leaned it against the window. He took a sip of the coffee, still not sure if it was worth four dollars. As he was setting the cup back down he saw out of the corner of his eye someone sit down right across from him. The table shook and he almost spilled coffee all over himself. He recognized the green apron from just minutes before.

"Hey, I'm on break. I noticed you have a guitar case with you, do you play?" she asked, still just as cheery as she was the five minutes before. However, he decided to be nice, seeing as he didn't want the first person he met in New York to hate him.

"Yeah, I do," he replied. "I have a meeting with some of the record execs at Maverick in a few hours."

"So you must be pretty good, huh?" she asked.

"I'm ok," he replied in his usual cocky attitude when it came to women.

"I have a friend who plays at the Bitterend, a local club. Usually on weekends, but I know their always looking for weekday talent. I haven't heard ya play, but if Maverick wants to meet with you, you've got to be at least okay," she stated.

"Thanks for the tip," he replied, somewhat feeling like he did not need advice.

"Your want the address? It's in Greenwich, a bit of a ways from here. Do you know where that is?" she questioned.

"Well, not really," he replied, suddenly feeling sort of lost in a big city.

"Well, SOHO, Upper Manhattan? Do you know where any of that is?"

He shrugged his shoulders. "I've heard of all of that of course, but I couldn't tell you how to get there," he replied somewhat ashamed.

"Small-town boy in the big city, I can tell," she laughed. "Do you even know where you're staying?" she asked.

"Well," he stuttered. "Not yet, I don't even know if I'm gonna be here long."

"Let me give you my number, just incase you get lost. Which kind of sounds inevitable," she giggled. "Do you have a pen?" she asked.

"Yeah, I do. The trials of being a songwriter, what can I say?" he replied. He handed her the pen, and set his hand down on the table next to his coffee.

Reaching for the pen, she took his hand somewhat flirtatiously and started writing her number.

"Oh wait," quickly interjected. "Why don't you put it on paper, or a napkin or something, because I'm sort of a clean freak. Ya know, constantly washing my hands and stuff…" he rambled on. He was having flashbacks to the day before, already Tree Hill was creeping up on him again.

"Oh, ok. Sure," she replied. She wrote her number down on the paper napkin from the table. "Here ya go," she handed him the napkin.

Taking it from her, he read the number. She had also written her name next to it, "Julianna, what a pretty name," he stated.

"Most of my friends just call me Julia or Jul. Most say it doesn't fit me, then again my hair really isn't blonde and isn't exactly naturally straight. Someday I'll have to go back to the brown, curly hair look, then maybe my name would fit better," she replied. She'd finally lost that over attentive sales girl voice.

"I think it fits you, I like it," he replied smiling.

"Thanks," she smiled back. "What's your name, anyway?"

"Chris," he answered. "I know, boring."

"It's not, I like it. It fits you very well," she replied. "Anyway, thank you for making my 5 am break much more enjoyable than it has been in the last 6 months. 5 am conversations are not usually this enjoyable," she stated.

"No problem," he laughed. "Thanks for making me feel even more lost in a big city."

"Your welcome, call me sometime, maybe. If you want, ya know," she replied as she turned around, heading back to the counter.

"I think I will," he replied quietly, knowing Julianna probably didn't hear him.

He stared out the window until six or so. He enjoyed just watching the people walk by. He had the urge to write something down, but he wasn't the raw emotions type of guy, so he figured he'd rather not waste his time writing something he knew he'd think was crap later on. He grabbed his guitar case and threw his still half full, but cold, cup of coffee in trash can a few feet away. Grabbing his guitar case he headed for the door, smiling at Julianna as he left.

Maybe New York wasn't going to be as bad as he had thought…No matter what, Tree Hill was behind him.


	4. Song for Changing

_Thank you so much for the review Majit! I absolutely love your story "I still love you New York"_)

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_**"Do, or do not... There is no try."**_

Staring at the keyboard against the wall in the living room poked at that empty space inside of her. She had just woken up to another day in Tree Hill. She wondered what Chris was doing that morning. She snapped out of it when she realized he had probably forgotten all about her, and was off chasing his dream while she was stuck back in Tree Hill. Was that something she was going to regret forever?

Nathan walked up behind her and put his arms around her. "I love you babe," he whispered in her ear."

She was silent for a second, somewhat lost in thought. "I love you too Nathan," she whispered back. He smiled.

If only she could convince herself she really did love him enough to throw her dreams away…

It was sort of chilly outside as Chris stood next to the building right off Broadway where the Maverick office was located. It was almost 8 am, and he was getting poised to make an impression, or not. He took a drag from the cigarette in his hand. He hadn't smoked in over a year, but between the stress and lack of sleep, he needed something to calm himself down. His hands were visibly shaking, he had no idea if he could even play guitar if they asked him to. He put his cigarette out in the dispenser carefully located next to the building, as smoking in any indoor public place in New York had been illegal for quite sometime. He gripped his guitar and took a deep breath as he stepped into the building. He rode the elevator the twelve floors up to the Maverick office suite. He stepped toward the receptionist desk straight ahead as he got of the elevator.

"Hi, I'm Chris Keller here for to speak with John…" he trailed off. "John, something. I don't think he ever really said his last name."

"Well, Chris Keller, lets see…." she paused. I don't specifically see you down for an appointment. Would you be down under another name? A band name perhaps?" she questioned.

"Uhhh," he stuttered. He knew he had an appointment, the guy had called him, he had even sent him the tickets. What if he put him down under Haley's name? He was supposed to come with Haley after all, it was the duet he had submitted. "Possibly, Haley James," he replied, somewhat hesitantly.

"Well, you don't quite look like a Haley James," the receptionist laughed.

"Yeah, but I submitted a demo, which was a duet with her," he replied, not really feeling the joke.

"Oh you're kidding! I assume you mean the 'When the Stars Go Blue' demo; we've been playing it around the office for a few days. All of the clerks here are fans, you've got a great voice! But where is Ms. James today, it would have been great to hear you two live!"

"Actually she stayed back," he started to feel kind of disappointed again that she had.

She could sense the more timid tone in his voice, and tried to cheer him up a little, "Well the CEO Guy Oseary flew in last week, he has several talent interviews to go through this week. Now that we have the name appointment conflict fixed out, you're the first appointment of the day, I'll walk you down to his office," she stated, leading him down a hallway lined with pictures of musical acts signed under the Maverick label. "Mr Oseary, Chris Keller is here to speak with you about the duet that was submitted just last week," she informed the tall, broad shouldered man at a desk piled with papers and a box full of Cds.

"Thank you Sara. Hi Chris, Come on in and have a seat," Mr. Oseary motioned as the secretary left back down the hallway. Clutching his guitar case even tighter than before, he sat down in a green chair angled towards the large desk, behind which Mr. Oseary sat. "Where's the girl? Ms. James I believe?"

"She stayed behind in North Carolina. I'm working on getting her to come out here," he replied sheepishly. He had tried. He wanted her to come. In fact, he would have felt a lot less nervous if she had been by his side.

"I see," he stated. He clicked a pencil against the desk, and then put it to his lip. "I was quite excited to receive your demo." Chris beamed a little, feeling a little less nervous. "But….I was expecting Ms. James to also be part of the picture if we were to release this duet, or even look into marketing it. Also, I don't even know how it would sound live. Also, it's a cover. We need versatility, no true musicians make a career off of covers." He finished, critically looking at Chris.

Chris was getting antsy, he could tell this wasn't going in the direction he really wanted it to go. "I write my own music, I just felt a duet would kind of liven up the demo. I guess it was kind of a learning experience too," he stated, trying to save himself, and sound like as upstanding a musician as possible.

"I see," Mr. Oseary replied, leaning forward in his chair.

"I'd just figured I needed to do something different, be versatile. That's all. If you don't like the angle, I can just work with song writing," he stated, not in a pleading tone, more of a calm but true attempt at redeeming himself.

"You love her, don't you?" Mr. Oseary said with a straight face, leaning forward, even closer to where Chris was sitting.

"Who?" Chris replied, somewhat confused.

"The girl in the duet, Ms. James," he replied, keeping a straight face.

"What?" Chris asked, with a somewhat shocked look on his face. He never expected his first meeting with a real record label to go like this.

"The music never lies," Mr. Oseary replied, this time leaning back in his chair and resting his arm on a pile of papers. "I want you to bring her back here. This is an all or nothing deal Mr. Keller. I see an image, a possibility, take it or leave it." He laid a contract down on the desk, on top of the one clear spot where the shiny mahogany wood peaked through. "There is a standard commitment contract prepared for every musician that walks in this room with an appointment. 99.999 of these contracts never have a pen reach that little line by the 'x.' You have an appointment with me next week, you can speak with Sara at the door and she will give you the time and date next week. Be prepared to play, both of you. A solo song each and the duet. Everything besides the duet must be original, and acoustic; so we can see if you're both real musicians."

Chris was now leaning back in his chair. Somewhat in shock, somewhat confused. He grabbed his guitar case which he had set down on the floor just minutes before. He picked it up and started to stand up. He went to shake Mr. Oseary's hand, showing his intentions of an attempt to make the next week's deadline.

As he turned around to head to the door, Mr. Oseary added to his earlier statement, "Cancel within 24 hours if you will not be keeping that appointment Mr. Keller."

"That won't be necessary Mr. Oseary," Chris replied, putting on as sure an attitude as he could come up with.

"Good," Mr. Oseary stated as Chris left the room.

Leaning up against the wall for a brief second, Chris caught his breath after ten of the longest minutes of his life. He started to walk back down the hallway to the receptionist. He walked up, hesitantly, still shaken up. "I guess I have to get an appointment…"

Sara cut in, "For next week, alright. Wednesday at 10 am."

Chris gave a confused look as to how she already knew he needed another appointment for next week.

She looked to the left down the hallway making sure Mr. Oseary wasn't beside the door. She leaned in and whispered "In the four and a half year I have worked here, never once has he signed a contract in one meeting. You've made it past the hardest part though, you got the callback." Chris's look became one of more relief at this point. "He expects the conditions filled though," she added. "But don't give up yet."

Chris gave her a nod, as he turned around heading toward the elevator. The revolving door spun as he stepped into the New York streets, even more lost than when he had entered twenty minutes before.


	5. Fall Apart

_Thank you Majit and Cutie Ray for the Reviews!_

_Sorry this is a short chapter, but the school year is winding down!_

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**_"Make sure when you cry, no one elsecan hear you."_**

He leaned against the brick wall on the side of the building where he had stood just 20 minutes before. He needed another cigarette. Four hours in New York and he was already on his way to becoming a chain smoker.

Lighting up a cigarette and taking a drag, he started to reflect on all that Guy Oseary had said. Was it a test, did he actually expect him to show up with Haley the next week? Was he just sending him down a dead end, he never actually asked him to play anything during their meeting today? And how exactly was he going to get Haley to come back with him? He was obviously in trouble. He hadn't even decided what he was going to eat for lunch that day, let alone what he was going to do for the next week.

The bell rang for first period. Haley was late again, but people seemed to be getting used to it.

"Ms. James," Mr. Fairwell stated with a raised eyebrow as Haley slid into her seat a minute after the bell. "Late again. Third time in a week, see me after class."

She was embarrassed at the fact that she couldn't keep it together, how could she let her life fall apart over something so trivial? Or maybe it wasn't… She'd lost her shot at fame, she'd lost her shot at music taking her anywhere. She'd made that decision before Chris had even told her he was leaving, it pretty much began the second she started working with him. She married Nathan because she loved him, she still did, and knew she always would. Fame or not. Chris or not. Kiss or not.

It was the fact that she could not have everything which killed her. She always felt like she had everything, but that was when everything to her was straight A's and a new CD every week. Then everything became getting married and becoming famous, all by the age of 17.

All through English class she was trying to find ways she could leave for New York without anyone realizing. It would have been so simple at the beginning of the year, everything was so no strings attached at that point. The bell woke her up out of her little dream session, which was all it was again. She hadn't taken any notes, but being perfect wasn't important anymore, she'd given up on herself.

"Ms. James," Mr. Fairwell motioned for her to come over to his desk as the rest of the class filed out of the room. Haley walked timidly over to his desk, she was still a little out of it. "Lately, Ms. James, your tests haven't been lacking, but I must say your class attendance has been less than admirable."

"I know, I'm sorry. I've been out of it lately," she said with all the forgiveness she could muster. She really wasn't sorry, and she was starting to kind of hate faking it for other people. "What would happen if say, someone started doing an independent study program for the rest of the school year? Would it be possible to finish early?" she asked, somewhat timidly, but she wasn't afraid of hurting anyone's feelings anymore.

"Well, this person would certainly have to be focused enough to actually finish out the year. Then again, if this person is far enough ahead, I'm sure they could in about a fourth of the time it'd take sitting in this class…" he replied, playing along with her game.

"Thanks Mr. Fairwell." She turned around heading towards the door for her next class.

"Haley, don't do anything stupid," he replied staring down at the paper he was correcting on his desk.

"I wouldn't," she meekly replied, and left the room. She couldn't figure outwhich decision was the right anymore.


	6. The Space Between

_Sorry if I screw up any New York Trivia!_

_Disclaimer: I of course still own nothing, except the made up characters!_

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He walked around for another hour, just mindlessly. He had no idea where he was going, or what he was planning on doing at that point, but it was just nice to be lost. After passing the Port Authority and finally getting a gauge on where the hell he was, he started to head back to the Starbucks he had ventured to just 5 hours before.

"Ouch." He had run into someone when he mindlessly opened the door. "Sorry," he replied, still out of it as he leaned down to pick up book he had knocked out of the person's hand. "Slaughterhouse Five, nice choice," he stated as he stood up again. He recognized the face, and she recognized his too.

"Thanks," she replied with that trademark smile form just hours before.

"Hey," he replied, realizing it was Julianna. He looked like a deer in the headlights staring at her eyes. He hadn't really noticed before, but she had amazing eyes. Hazel eyes, but her right eye had a little spot of bright blue.

She smiled knowing he was looking at her. "How'd the meeting go?" she asked, breaking the silence.

"Oh, the meeting," he said, breaking his gaze with her eyes. "Not too great, I don't even know what to expect right now." She looked at him with one of those frowns girls are so good at. They make you want to spill your heart but look so cute, he thought. "The CEO of the New York division told me to come back next week. He seems crazy, I can't really decide what to do. I think I may have shot, I don't really know. There are all these catches though…" he trailed off.

"Catches?"

"Yeah."

"What are they?"

"I have to come back next week, but with the girl I recorded my demo with."

"From where you came from? Do you guys talk anymore?"

"I don't really know. I lived in Tree Hill in North Carolina for six years. I kind of kept to my self, and just went about my way. I graduated from high school there, and kind of cut ties with my dad. I rented an apartment above a record store, and worked there for the next 4 years. That's when I got into music, and started playing with a few guys. I don't think I was ever cut out for a band, I guess I'm just the guy and a guitar type. A couple weeks ago I met this girl, Haley. She's an absolutely amazing musician, but she's married….and 17..." he trailed off.

She had a shocked look on her face. She led him down 6th Avenue towards 8th Street near the NYU campus. "Will she come?"

"I don't know," he replied. He shifted the guitar from his left hand to his right hand. "That's why I have no clue where I'm headed or what I'm gonna do about next week. I don't even have her number." He was starting to have a flashback of the day before. He'd seen her such a short time before, but it had felt like years and two different worlds.

"Well, I think it's the music that really matters." She grabbed a key from her pocket and ducked into the next door as they were walked past another huge building. "Come on," she motioned for Chris to follow her as she stepped up to open the large metal door to the building. He felt a little awkward just standing in the middle of the sidewalk, so he walked over and leaned up against the metal of the door frame as she struggled with the key. "I can never get this thing open. One day I'll have someone chasing me and I'll be stuck outside," she laughed.

"Lemme try." She handed him the key. He opened the door swiftly with one turn of the key. He handed the key back as he opened the door, letting her lead the way. They walked up a flight of stairs. Julianna opened the door and again motioned for Chris to come in as he hesitantly stood outside the door. She seemed too nice to be one of those serial killers he had heard of from crappy TV shows like "60 minutes." He decided to put his life on the line, ha, who was he kidding?

Throwing the keys down on the counter in the studio apartment, Julianna walked over to put a notebook down on the table while Chris took a quick survey of the place. It was way nicer than the outside of the building, and it looked like she had to be creative. The place was extremely modern, and had huge windows. He started to wonder how she dealt with the lack of privacy, but then his eyes were drawn to the large curtain that had been pulled back.

"Do you have a CD?" she asked.

"Hmmm?"

"A CD? Of the Demo?"

"Oh yeah, I do." He pulled a CD out of his guitar case and handed it to Julianna. The CD cover was plain a label across the front:

_Christopher Keller and Haley James-Scott _

_Cover of Ryan Adams' "When the Stars Go Blue"_

_Recorded in Tree Hill, North Carolina under Cold Monday Independent Records_

_Produced by Christopher Keller and Mark Hazelwood_

_She studied the label before sticking the CD into the stereo on the glass table in the presumed "living room." She sat down on the couch as the opening notes started. "You can sit if you want." He walked over next to her and sat at the other end of the couch. He was nervous about having someone hear the recording and was also kind of still tentative about Julianna. _

They both listened as the notes flowed from the speakers, strategically placed around the apartment. Chris started to day dream of the time he had spent with Haley just sitting in the studio as he looked over at Julianna. Her lips curled into a smile as she listened.

"That was beautiful," she smiled again as the last notes of the song played.

"Thanks," Chris replied, smiling sheepishly.

"Do you write your own music too?" Julianna asked. She knew the answer, but she just wanted to coax him into actually singing for her.

"Yeah." He got the hint and walked over to grab his guitar of the case and returned to the couch. He played her "Glad" the same song he had played when he auditioned in front of that emo girl, and met Haley for the first time. He started to go into a fog as he played, he saw Julianna smiling at him. Her blond hair glistening in the sun, and the spot of blue in her right eye glistened in the light. His eyes locked with hers as he finished the song. They both leaned in as the song ended. Lips locking in a kiss that lasted just a few seconds.

Chris leaned back, his hand resting on his guitar. He couldn't believe he was tossing in his heart on day one. His music career wasn't even on his mind at that point

…..and Haley James? Haley James who?

If only that had been the truth…


	7. Dizzy

_**Thank you for the Review Majit! My one faithful reader! ) ) **_

**By the way…I know this is kinda going slow right now…I'll work on speeding it up in the next few chapters. **

**Also note: the Bitter End is a club in like the Soho, Greenwich Village area**

* * *

"_**I'm drowning in your vanity, your laugh is a disease. You're dirty and you're sweet, you know you're everything to me." **_

Leaning back against the edge of the couch, Julianna was clutching a silver pillow as she looked back at Chris. For some reason the situation didn't seem awkward… Just sitting there, just being. She didn't want it to end, but she did not want anything to necessarily begin. She stood up quickly…

"You want something to drink?" she asked, starting to turn in the other direction. Chris grabbed her wrist, and gently directed her back to the couch. He kissed her. She returned the kiss, leaning her hand on his shoulder and pushing him down with the weight of her body.

"Nathan!" Haley called from the kitchen of their apartment. Nathan was in the bathroom, primping as usual. He always seemed to take longer getting ready than her. "We only have five minutes!" She glanced over at her cell phone on the counter. She couldn't decide whether or not to check her voicemail for the 50th time that day. She was kind of hoping Chris would call and tell her all about what an amazing time he was having. She wanted to hear all about it, but she also wanted to be there. She picked up the phone, but then shut it off instead. He had only been there one day, he probably wouldn't call for a while anyway, if he did at all.

Jul started pulling off his shirt, and threw it down on the floor next to his guitar. He started tugging at her shirt when there was a knock out of the door.

"Jules! You there?" whoever it was called from the hallway. Julianna pulled away.

"Hold on, I'll be right back," she whispered in his ear and gave him a light kiss on the lips. "Coming, John!" She ran to the door, opening it and giving John a huge hug. "How have you been?"

"Great! Are we still on for that show at the Bitter End tonight?" he asked.

"Of course!" she replied. "Come in, I know what you're really here for. You're on lunch, aren't you? Come in and I'll feed you. What would you do with out me?" she smiled, shutting the door after John walked in. She walked into the kitchen and opened the fridge as John past the kitchen and into the living room, which was separated from the door by the kitchen counters and cupboard.

"Jul, who is this half-dressed guy sitting on your couch?" John asked somewhat confused. Chris sat with a blank look on his face, even more confused than John.

"Hold on," she walked over from behind the counter. "John, this is Chris. Chris, this is John." Chris just stared at John with an "I'm innocent" half smile across his face.

"Why are you bringing strange men into your apartment Jul?" John asked her with a straight look on his face.

"He's not strange, now go get a sandwich already John!" she laughed at his attempt to protect her. Chris looked a little afraid. Was this guy her boyfriend? Was he going to get beat up, again? He looked at Jul for an answer. She saw how scared he was for a second, so she walked over an whispered in his ear, "Don't worry Chris, he's gay. Now get that shocked look off your face already! I'm single, promise!"

He laughed, he knew that was a good thing, but then started freaking out when he realized maybe when John was looking at him before he was checking him out. He started to frantically put back on his shirt.

"You think you're hot shit don't you Chris?" she laughed as he got stuck trying to put his head into the arm hole of his t-shirt, looking like a klutz. "John won't be checking you out anytime soon, he's the one who's taken!" she laughed. "You'll meet Andy later." Chris was visibly blushing when he finally got his t-shirt on. He felt kind of dumb assuming that about John.

Julianna started laughing, "You're shirt is on inside out now."

"Finally, you really need to work on your punctuality Nathan!" Haley criticized.

"But don't you want me to look cute?" he smiled with those puppy dog eyes of his.

"You'd look cute in anything." She hugged him and grabbed her purse off the counter. "Come on" she urged, pulling him towards the door by the arm. "You're gonna be late for work, and I'm gonna be late for work!."

"Fiiiiiiine. I was gonna suggest a little break after spending all that time getting ready to look nice just for you Hales." He leaned in to kiss her, putting on all the moves he could. He seemed desperate to get laid today.

"Ha." She turned away, brushing off his kiss. "Late, remember?"

"Ooooookay," he whined. "When we get home? Please?" he asked again with those puppy dog eyes.

"Only if you behave!"

"So John, who is playing tonight, again?" Julianna questioned.

John stood with his mouth agape. "I'm hurt Jules, I'm hurt." He took a big bite out of his sandwich. "You know I told you Andrew was playing. I've told you everyday for like three weeks!" he yelled at her mockingly with his mouth full of half-chewed bread.

"I know, I know John. I just wanted to see if I could get you to cry again!" she laughed, sticking her tongue out at him.

"Thanks Jules, thanks," he replied, sticking his tongue back out at her in reply.

"So when are we meeting there?" she asked.

"Andrew goes on at 8. That means you've gotta be there by like 2," he replied. "I know you are _always _late."

"Ha, thanks Johnny." She started to push him towards the door. "Now, you're gonna be late." She opened the door, and he pretended to resist as she pushed him out. "See you at 8" she called, shutting the door .

"Be on time Jules!" he called back.

She walked back past the kitchen to the couch. Chris had fixed his shirt and inspecting his precious guitar for scratches after he had nonchalantly thrown it down on the floor during their earlier make out session. "I've got a class at 2, and when I get back it always takes forever for me to get ready, so if you wanna go out while I'm gone, it doesn't matter."

He realized that he knew almost nothing about Julianna. "Where do you go to school?" he asked. "NYU, I'm a drama major with a minor in dance. I'm a junior, making me 20. Just in case your not a math whiz," she laughed as she walked over to grab a different shirt out of the dresser next to her bed.

At least he knew he was dealing with some high school girl anymore, even if she was a junior, she was a junior in _college_. It popped into his head how illegal it would have been if anything had actually ever happened with Haley. His mind trailed off for a minute as Julianna walked into the bathroom. She turned on the faucet to was her face. She walked out of the bathroom and leaned against the doorframe blotting her face with a towel. "You alright?" she asked him.

"Yeah, yeah…sorry…" he trailed off. He got up off the couch and put his guitar back into the case.

"You can leave that hear if you want. I'll be back by 4:30, so anytime after that you can come back. You'll come with me tonight, right?"

"Sure," he replied. He had no other plans.

"I expect you to bring that guitar of yours too! They always have open mics between the two sets of the night." She tied her hair up into a loose ponytail, a few curls fell around her face. Chris was starting to have flashbacks of his one night at Tric, where no one even cared to listen, but he knew New York had to be better than that. "Oh yeah…if you need a place to stay, which I know you do…the couch is free," Julianna added. He smiled back at her getting the half joke. "Hey, don't think guys are staying on my couch every night!" she laughed, winking at him, "They stay in bed with me instead."


	8. Red Meets Blue

"_**You keep distracting me with that beauty, leaving me wanting more. Reminded me of my duty to lock these eyes with yours." **_

Strolling around for hours was kind of well, dull. He was in New York, but it all seemed so boring. He also was regretting the fact he hadn't paid perfect attention to where he was headed when he left, and he was feeling kind of lost. He passed the infamous Starbucks, and knew where he was again. He started to head back. It was almost five-thirty, he hadn't realized how much time he had just spent people-watching. Chris soon realized he would have to buzz up to the apartment after remembering he didn't have a key. Only problem was he didn't know Julianna's last name, and all the names were listed with the first letter of the tenants first name and the last name. There were 5 tenants with the first letter "J," so he went for "J. Diaz," because it reminded him of Cameron Diaz. What a typical guy.

"Julianna, you there?" he timidly asked, kind of confused by whether or not he had hit the button properly or if he was talking into the speaker.

"Yep, who is it?" He had guessed right. "Nice job, Keller," he thought to himself.

"Hey, it's Chris," he replied.

"Wellll, lets see…should I let you in?" she joked.

"Pleeeease," he pretended to beg.

"What's in it for me?" she asked, playing the game.

"Hmmmm…" he pretended to think about it. "How about a kiss?" he coyly asked.

"Alright," she replied, pressing the button from the apartment, opening the door for Chris. As he climbed the flight of stairs to the second floor, he started to think about how fast his life was moving. Just that morning he had arrived in New York. He'd had an interview with the CEO of Maverick and met a girl, possibly the girl of his dreams, all in one day. Six years in Tree Hill couldn't even compare to his one day in New York.

Julianna stood at the door waiting for Chris to make it up the stairs. She jokingly blocked the door when he tried to walk in. "Where's my kiss?" She pointed to her cheek. Chris instead went for a kiss on the lips, his eyes on the prize, he didn't even notice one big difference about Jules. After the kiss he finally noticed.

"Wow, you changed your hair!" He gently ran his hands through her hair, giving her another kiss.

"You sure you like it brown?" she asked.

"I love it, you eyes look so pretty with that color," he replied.

"It's different…" She grabbed his hand, bringing him inside. "Today has been the fastest day of my life. I can honestly admit I have never kissed a guy, nor asked him to stay with me within the first 12 hours of meeting him." She smiled, looking into his blue eyes. "Everything just feels so…So right."

"And to that I'd have to agree."

Nathan swung around Main Street to pick up Haley from work. She waited, constantly glancing through the window for her Prince Charming to come pick her up. Hopping in the car, she asked Nathan about their plans for that night. It was Friday, and they had only had a half day of classes that day, so she wasn't nearly tired enough to suffer through a night at home doing nothing.

"You wanna go to Tric tonight?" she asked Nathan as they started to head back to the apartment.

"Isn't it just a DJ tonight, though?" He kind of wanted to spend the night in. Well, in bed at least.

"Yeah, but Peyton will definitely be there, it's a Friday night after all. She practically lives there. Plus, Jake is still gone. I really want to make sure she doesn't feel too alone right now."

"Alright." He couldn't argue with a point like that, but he could amend it. "Two conditions Mrs. Scott."

"Oh no, what would they be Mr. Scott?" she asked. Then suddenly shocked about what she said. "Ewwww!" she started laughing, and he joined in. "Mr. Nathan Scott," she corrected the earlier slip. He started laughing even harder.

"Nice one Hales! Anyway, the two condition are, you must adhere to your earlier promise, AND…"

"And what?" she asked, somewhat curious.

"I want you to sing tonight at Tric," he replied.

Haley's face kind of went blank. She'd kind of had enough music drama for the week. Or maybe her life. "I don't know Nathan…"

"Awwww, come on Hales" he whined, giving her the puppy dog eyes once again.

"How about we just worry about condition number 1 first," she said with a half smile as they pulled into the driveway.

"Well, that'll just have to do for now!"

"You almost ready Jules?" he knocked on the bathroom door. He looked at the clock on the wall, it was 7:45 and he didn't know where the place even was. He just knew that one of Jules' good friends was going on at 8.

"Yep, I'm coming out right now." She opened the door, unveiling an hours worth of getting ready. She was wearing a tight white halter and pink flowery skirt which accentuated her 5'6" dancer's body. Her hair was up in a lose bun, hair falling into her face as usual. Her eyes looked natural, with a touch of mascara, and her lips had just clear gloss. She looked a little taller with the wedge shoes she was wearing, they were a summery straw pair. It was like everything she did just made her amazing features look even more beautiful.

For a minute Chris felt outdone. He had just changed into a different t-shirt, although it definitely looked like Julianna liked it. It was tighter than the one he was wearing earlier. She couldn't wait to see him on stage with that guitar wearing that tight shirt. He held her hand as they left the apartment, even though he had no idea where they were going. "You better be leading the way, cause you know my extensive knowledge of New York," he joked as they stepped out into the street.

"Don't worry, It's just a few blocks from here," she replied.

"If I knew marriage was like this, I would have gotten married at 14 if it was legal!" Nathan kissed Haley as they both stared up at the ceiling of the bedroom.

"But then you wouldn't be married to me!" she frowned.

"Hmmm, true." He leaned over tickling her, making her beg for mercy.

"Nathan!" she shouted between laughter. "It's…almost…8." It took her forever to get out that one sentence.

"Awwww, but can't we just stay in?" he begged, finally releasing her from his torturous tickling.

"I really wanna make sure Peyton's okay though Nathan. Jake has been gone for a while now," she begged mocking his style.

"Alright Hales, If it's what you want. But remember the conditions," he replied getting out bed and heading towards the bathroom to hop in the shower.

"Damn you Scotts and your conditions!" she replied, somewhat jokingly, but it was sort of the truth.

Haley heard the water of shower being turned on, and Nathan calling her, "Are you joining me or what?"

The Bitter End was kind of dirty, but it gave him this amazing music vibe. This was his place to shine. It wasn't some fake suburban club like Tric, it was a real, hardcore music opportunity. He was even starting to wonder if his acoustic type rock was hardcore enough for a place like this. His worries were somewhat eased however when John's boyfriend, Andrew took the stage. He was another acoustic guy, and was pretty good. However, he was a lot more, well….flamboyant, than Chris.

"Isn't he great!" Julianna cooed as she held onto Chris' arm, pulling him over to where John was standing. "Andrew sounds amazing John!" she somewhat shouted over the noise of the speakers, as John pointed out the change in the color of her hair.Chris was just hoping Jules would be as proud of him if he got the opportunity to play as she was of Andrew. "Hold on Chris." She left him with John, and the two watched as Andrew finished 2 songs.

"Chris, come here" Julianna called over the crowd, trying to make sure Chris could see and hear her. He turned around and started to weave through the groups of people. Jul grabbed his hand when got close enough and told him she had spoke with manager and gotten him the open mic spot between Andrew and the band playing afterwards. He kissed her on the cheek and led her back to where John was standing. He was already nervous, and was actually scared about going up in front of a real audience. He'd tried to brush it off at Tric, but to be perfectly honest he had never played in front of an audience bigger than a coffeehouse. He was more of a studio guy, messing around with tracks and deciding what sounded best. He'd never actually admitted to Haley that when he pressured her to go on stage, that he himself had never even conquered that fear.

However, his nervousness was somewhat relieved by how well received Andrew was. He was kind of in the same genre, so he felt his chances for that night were better than they'd be with any other type of musician. He caught a glimpse of Julianna's watch and saw it was only 8:15. It was going to be a long 45 minutes.

"Awww, come on, don't make me Nathan!" Haley whined as they walked into Tric. Too late, Nathan had made a mad dash to where Peyton was standing near the DJ.

"Peyton! I have a surprise for you! You know how you've got an empty spot for tonight?" he asked, leading into his surprise.

"Yeahhh," she replied. He had to hurry up before Haley reached the DJ platform.

"Haley will sing tonight!" He just got the words out as Haley stepped up next to him.

"Will not!" Haley retorted. Peyton looked kind of confused, she never really had a hope in her mind that Haley would take any empty slot at Tric, but she thought it was worth a shot. Tric was dead that night, and if she could get Haley to play, maybe word would spread before she went on and the place would get a little busier. She could also use that to her advantage to get Haley to play, she probably would be more willing because there were less people there.

"Awww, come on Haley!" Peyton joined in with Nathan.

"But I came here to spend time with you Peyton!" she explained.

"Well think of it this way, It'd be a pretty good present! Plus, Tric is rather dead tonight, you won't have to perform in a lot of people," she added. She joined in with Nathan's pleading.

Haley had an "I can't believe you're making me do this" look on her face. She really wasn't in the mood, but then again Nathan hadn't even brought up Chris when he mentioned her music today. That was an improvement, and she figured she'd take the opportunity while she still had it. "I guess," she replied.

Peyton started to laugh and jump around like Brooke had taught her to do so well over the years. "Great, you go on at 9 Haley! Thank you so much!"

(ALTERNATING POV)

Andrew finished at exactly 8:59. Chris had basically been looking at Julianna's watch for most of the time before the manager came over to get his name and direct him to the stage. Walking up on stage in front of lights was his moment of truth, he couldn't run away like he had at Tric.

Haley was visibly shaking as she walked towards the piano in the dead center of the stage. Tric seemed to be a lot busier than it had been before, what had Peyton done? She sat down in front of the piano as Peyton hopped up on the stage to introduce her. She tried to get her hands to stop shaking before she actually started.

Chris walked up to the microphone, adjusting it to his height. He must have been at least a few inches taller than Andrew, because the stand was set way too short. At first he was too close to the microphone, but adjusted it as he introduced himself. "I'm Chris Keller, and I'll be playing 'When it Comes'." He knew his intro sounded cheesy, but he wasn't feeling real confident about coming up with anything creative on the fly. He adjusted his guitar strap and took a deep breath.

_I study up my hollow  
Piece of wood to follow  
A day that doesn't come  
To the lucky  
_

Haley decided not to introduce the song she was going to sing at all. She didn't want to ruin the moment, and she didn't want to remind Nathan of the past weeks issues. After all, she was going to sing one of Chris' songs he had taught her just several days before. It was pretty and fit kind how she felt, but a lot more sugarcoated. As she played the first few chords, her hands stopped shaking and her voice became clearer. She got lost in the lights, lost in the adrenaline.

_And I realize there's tomorrow  
But I would rather wallow  
In the rain then moods that seem  
So pot-lucky_

He looked over at Julianna. He was again lost in her beautiful bright blue-hazel eyes. He felt like he was only singing for her. He smiled and started to feel more comfortable. He even changed a few of the lines and started to get into it. He was starting to feel right at home, this was his element.

_Well I'm cruising El Paseo  
In my off-white coup back '65  
Or I'm cruisin down my own street  
And my hooptie says to me  
You better hang on to your bench seat  
I'm gonna take you for a ride_

Nathan watched on, but Haley was too lost in song to even notice. She was singing her heart out, something he had never seen her do before. He could never remember a time he was prouder of her either. She was amazing, and she was all his.

_And I'll let you know  
When it comes, when it comes  
I'll let you know  
But don't stay up for me  
Don't wait up for me  
If I'm not home_

As the final lines of the song rang out, Chris got lost in the applause. Everyone seemed to actually like the song, but then again why wouldn't they? It was a great song, and he knew it. It was just something about the spotlight that brought out his cocky attitude.

_And I'll let you know  
I'll let you know  
Well I'll let you know_

She finished the song perfectly in tune. Afraid of what everyone would think, even though she knew she nailed every note. Everyone in Tric seemed to be applauding, they loved her like always. She was what every girl wanted to be. An amazing voice with the brains behind it, and the married to undeniably the hottest guy in Tree Hill. Of course that title was only definitive after a certain musician had finally left. She could only think of Chris as she smiled at the cheering crowd. Just like the song, he would have to let her know when he made it, right?


	9. Not Myself

Ohhhhh Marit...I LOVE you and your reviews!

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**Ok...this chapter seems a little unrealistic, but i just couldn't figure out how to do this...the next few chapters may be rough like this too. **

"_**Would you want me when I'm not myself? Wait it out while I am someone else?" **_

Julianna was exhausted after waking up at 4 am to start her 5 am shift early that morning. When she and Chris got back to the apartment she quickly changed into sweat pants and a tank top. The two sat down on the couch together and talked for another hour at least. When Jul fell asleep on the couch Chris didn't want to wake her up, so he gently carried her to her bed no more than 10 feet away. He tucked her in and went to grab his bag and pop into the bathroom to at least brush his teeth and wash his face, even though he'd probably get stuck falling asleep in jeans as, he hadn't brought anything to really sleep in. Shutting the light off in the bathroom when he left, he heard someone sniffling in the background.

"Jules?" he whispered.

"Yeah?" she replied, remembering she was supposed to be pretending to be asleep.

"You ok?" he asked walking over and sitting on the edge of her bed.

"I'm fine." She half sat up. "I don't know, I guess it's just that you just remind me of someone."

He smiled as he looked at her face framed by just the moonlight through the window, and the lights of the building from across the street. "Who?" he asked.

"My older brother, Matt" she solemnly replied. "He used to take care of me when I was about 16..." she trailed off. Another tear rolled down her cheek. "He died last year of leukemia. He had been in remission for years, but when it came back there was nothing left for them to try. Cancer runs in my family…My mom died of cancer less than a year after my dad had died in car accident. I've been alone since Matt died, I just…miss him." She started crying harder than before.

Chris had no idea what to do, he just let her cry on his shoulder. She was an amazingly strong girl; he wanted to tell her that, but he just didn't know how to put it.

They both fell asleep to the sound of police cars in the city that never sleeps, but also the city of constant turmoil.

* * *

"Nathan, it's almost midnight, can we please go home yet!" Haley whined. "You're the one had wanted to stay in tonight anyway!" She was also kind of worried, Nathan was drinking again. It was an all ages night, but the basketball crew always found a way to get in with the bartender.

"Just a minute, babe" Nathan half slurred.

"Nathan, now or never, because I'm leaving now," she sternly replied.

"But I have the keys!" He punched Tim in the arm thinking he had one upped his wife.

"Actually Nathan, you gave them to me an hour ago. I guess you're too drunk to remember that!" She was getting annoyed now. "You know what Nathan, have fun walking," she spat. She turned around and headed towards the door, hoping in the back of her mind that Nathan would follow her begging for forgiveness. Of course he didn't though, he was just being his asshole self like he always was when he drank.

Hopping in the car, her life felt even less like a fairytale.

* * *

**Day Three (Finally!) **

**Saturday March 12, 2005**

"Chris…Chris," Julianna gently nudged him, trying to wake him up. It was almost 11, thank goodness she didn't have to work that day.

"Hmm, yeah," He asked, kind of confused after waking up quickly out of deep sleep. "Woah, sorry I just forgot where I was for a second." Julianna laughed. "But I must say, I am presently surprised."

"Good," she smiled giving him a kiss on the cheek. "You hanging out with me today?"

"Do you even have ask that anymore?" he grabbed her waist before she stood up all the way. "You're my only ally in this big city."

"Well then, to actually do anything today, you're gonna have to actually get up!" she stood up and started going through the stuff in her closet, the one closed off part of the apartment. "I'm gonna take a quick shower, when I get out you better at least be out of bed!" she joked.

"Fiiiiiiine," he sarcastically replied.

She walked into the bathroom, but then quickly returned. "By the way.."

"Yep?"

"About all that stuff right before we fell asleep last night, I'm sorry…I just tend to babble on when I get into that mood, and it just all comes out…"

"You have nothing to be sorry about Jules," he smiled, trying to reassure her. She walked into the bathroom, shutting the door.

She was done in a few minutes, and he decided to take a shower. He met Julianna at the counter in the kitchen, she was fixing something small for breakfast. "So do you have to do anything specifically today?" she asked.

"Ummmm, not really. I kind of want to start looking for an apartment, I guess that's somewhat dependent on if I can make it here, but I'll take the chance. And I have to switch banks or something, I have the slip from one of the local banks in Tree Hill."

"Anything else?"

"Yeah," Chris replied, biting his lip.

"And that is…?"

"I have to call Haley," he sat down on the stool next to the counter.

Julianna seemed to just go with it, "Do you have her number? You can look it up online on the laptop over on the desk if you don't."

"Yeah, I'll have to look it up. I'll wait till we're done eating though. He was trying to put it off for as long as possible.

After breakfast he went online to get Haley's number. He'd have to call her house because he couldn't look up a cell number. Julianna handed him the phone when he found it.

* * *

Haley woke up in kind of a fog. It was almost 12:15. She was pissed at herself for sleeping so late, but when she saw Nathan wasn't in bed she was even more annoyed. She walked into the kitchen to see if there was anything that looked appetizing. She was starving, she hadn't eaten since the snack she grabbed before they left for Tric the night before. Walking past the living room she glanced over at the couch to see Nathan passed out. She was truly annoyed with him at this point, "he was so trashed he couldn't even make it to bed. I wonder who even dropped him off," she muttered. She had learned that old habits seemed hard to break.

She started boiling water for tea, one of her favorite drinks to try and calm her anger for a few minutes. She ran her hand through her hair as she pulled a cup down from the cupboard. The phone rang, breaking her out of her trance.

"Hello," she stated kind of angrily.

"Ummm, hi," the voice on the other end of the line replied.

"Who is this?" she asked still annoyed.

"It's…It's Chris." Haley stared over at Nathan who was still dead asleep after his night of partying with the boys.

"Hey Chris," she replied in a happier, louder voice, just daring Nathan to wake up. "So how's New York?"

He was kind of confused, she had never talked like this before. "It's good, I'm kind of worried about the music thing though."

"Really?" she had so much faith in Chris and his music, he was so confident all the time.

"Yeah. Haley, can I ask you for a favor?" he asked timidly.

"Ummm, I guess?" she replied, kind of wondering what he was going to ask.

"I met with the CEO of Maverick yesterday. He really liked the demo, but it was the demo with you. He wants you to come to New York for the next meeting which is Wednesday. He was kind of set on you coming I guess."

She was trying to absorb what he was saying. She glanced over at Nathan who hadn't budged since she'd woken up. She was still annoyed and decided to make the rash 'what the hell' decision.

Chris took the silence as a no, as it usually was with Haley. "You don't have to come if you really don't want to Haley."

"No, I think I will," she replied. Chris stood in Julianna's kitchen with a look of shock on his face. "I've got to talk to Luke first and do a few things here, but I want to leave today," she replied, thinking about each word before she said it. "Where are you can I get the number for there, so I can call you when I'm at the bus station?" she asked, taking the initiative.

"Yeah, ummm…wow, ok…hold on." He motioned for Julianna to write down her number. Haley waited patiently, she could tell Chris was kind of shocked that she had actually said yes, and in a way that kind of got her adrenaline going. He gave her the number and the two hung up.

Haley glared over at Nathan again, he was still asleep. She grabbed a piece of paper and started to write him a note:

_Nathan, _

_You know I love you more than anything, and you know I respect you more than anything. Nathan, I want you to go to that camp this summer, because you respect my dreams more than anything. This morning I got an amazing opportunity to give music a shot in New York, I know you know how important that is to me. While I'm gone, please, please, please don't set the apartment on fire! Promise? I'll have my cell with me all the time when I'm there, I want you to call me lots, and I'll call you too! _

_I love you,_

_Haley_

So, she'd left out how she'd gotten the opportunity, the fact that Chris would be there, and any true details about the situation. She kind of knew he'd be annoyed with her when he woke up, but then again she was pissed off at him. In a way she wanted him to grow up and she was trying to pretend her going away would make him grow up.

Now all she had to figure out was what she was going to tell Luke. Tutor girl wasn't backing down again.


	10. Hope It Seems

Love ya much Marit! (you may be seeing2 chapters a day and none other days because of the time change, but I've been putting one up a day...I'll try to keep that up.)

Ok, again...getting Haley to New York is hard to do in an original fashion, so this isn't very original.

**Also, if anyone else is reading, if you'd leave a note, that'd be great...nothing long, just to say you're reading, or something.**

I don't plan on stopping or anything...just wondering!

**

* * *

**

**"_Hope it seems is taking me back, taking me back to where I lost you from. You told me I was holding you down, holding you down, the only one holding on now"_**

Haley stared at the bedroom wall. She started dialing Luke's number a few times, but stopped every time. Finally gaining the courage to tell him, she started dialing…

"Luke?"

"Haley?" He always seemed to know it was her, then again she was the only one to really call him Luke.

"I have to tell you something," she swallowed hard, wondering if she should just skip the stupid idea all together.

"Yep?" he asked, he must have been doing something else, because he definitely wasn't catching her serious tone.

"I'm gonna leave for a little while…" she trailed off.

"Huh?"

"I have a music opportunity in New York, you know what that means to me." She ran her hand through her hair, visibly nervous.

"What? Haley? Where are you going?" he asked, obviously starting to focus in on the conversation.

"I have a meeting with Maverick this week…in New York...with Chris" she added him in at the end, she knew someone had to know. She was almost hoping Luke would tell her it was all a stupid idea.

"Haley," he paused. "It's just about the music, right?" he asked, somewhat timidly.

"Luke, it's my one shot. You know I love Nathan….you know me better than that," she replied, kind of hurt. Especially since Luke had no idea what happened at the studio that day.

"Sorry Haley. I just don't want you to do anything stupid."

"I won't," she replied. She was still trying to convince herself that, but she knew if she could get other people to believe it, she would believe it herself eventually. "I'll call you when I'm there."

"You better," Luke replied laughing a little.

They said their goodbye's and hung up. Haley looked around the room, she couldn't decide whether her conversation with Luke had made her feel better about the decision, or worse. She stared at the bag she had packed before she had called Luke. She didn't want to take too much, because she didn't want to worry Nathan that she was leaving for too long because the truth was she wasn't, right?

* * *

"We should probably get back." Julianna and Chris were a few blocks from the apartment. They had already been to the bank and a few stores as Chris had nowhere near enough clothes with him if he planned on staying.

"Yeah, I guess, but I really don't think she's gonna come," he replied. He kind of wanted to start the apartment search, but he knew if Haley did call, they'd be out.

"You never know. We can always start the apartment search tomorrow, too."

"Alright," he smiled and held her hand as they walked back to the apartment.

It was really foggy out for some reason when she took a taxi to the bus station. Nathan was still passed out when she left, she figured he must have really gotten trashed after she had left Tric. Once she got to the station, she stood outside for a few minutes before buying her ticket. She had taken the money her parents had left her before they were off on their road trip. They had given it to her telling her to use it to follow her dreams somehow, she had saved it and figured it was now or never.

Getting on the bus was rough, but she continued to tell herself she'd be back soon enough. She pulled out her cell and dialed the number she had scribbled on a napkin.

"Hello?" That was weird, a girl picked up the phone.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I must of the wrong number," Haley stammered.

"Oh no, wait, you may not…are you looking for Chris?" the voice replied quickly.

"Yeah, I am actually." She was feeling kind of confused, where is Chris anyway?

"Hold on just a sec Haley." Haley was kind of confused as to how the girl knew her name. She was getting a little nervous as the bus had already left the station, there was no turning back.

"Hey Haley, sorry I didn't pick up." Chris had finally picked up the phone.

"Hey, who was that?" Haley asked, she couldn't figure out why she was getting so defensive.

"Oh, that was Julianna," he replied. "You'll meet her when you get here…I mean…if you're still coming…"

"Actually, I'm about ten minutes there already," she replied. Why was Chris acting so nice to her anyway?

"Really? I'll meet you when you get here at like 10 then?"

"Wow, you're kidding…it takes 9 hours to get there?" She had sort of forgotten to check how long it would take to get there.

"Yeah, I thought you 'Miss Responsible' would check the time!" he said mockingly, but still not to the same degree as when they were both back in Tree Hill.

"Ha, thanks a lot! I think I'm gonna go, I'm probably bugging everyone around me talking so loud." The truth really was she wasn't bothering anyone. They were all on cell phones too, and the real reason she wanted to go was so that she could call Nathan. She was turning into someone other than herself with all these lies.

As soon as she hung up with Chris she dialed the number at the apartment. It rang and the machine picked up. She was getting kind of worried about Nathan. She left a message on the machine for him to call her as soon as he woke up, or got home, or wherever he was. She pulled her I-pod out of her bag, and placed the headphones on her ears, she turned the volume up as high as it would go. She flipped it over, looking at the engraving on the stainless steel back.

_To our dearest daughter,_

_We never thought you'd grow up so fast, but we are proud of your every accomplishment. We hope your marriage brings you as much happiness as ours has._

_Remember, we'll always love you! _

She started to feel a little cynical. Who gets an I-pod as a wedding present? She was starting to feel young and petty, she had never thought of the gift like that before. She just always thought her parents would give her a sentimental gift on her wedding day…but then again, an I-pod may have been a sentimental gift for a 17 year old.

Either way, she was a half hour from Tree Hill, and eight and a half hours from New York,two different worlds.


	11. Soundtrack for Our Movie

for Marit, another update!

I also updated the summary...hopefully more surprises to come.

hmmm...what else. Oh yeah, i wrote the stupid song, so pretend you like it! haha, j/k.

**R&R pweeeeeeeease!**

**

* * *

**

**"This is a soundtrack for our movie, would you tell me when we get to the best part?"**

"Come on Julianna, we have to go!" Chris was begging her to hurry up getting ready. She obviously didn't lie when she said it took forever for her to get ready.

"I'm coming!" She opened the bathroom door, almost tripping trying to put her left shoe on in a hurry. "Lemme just grab my keys." She brushed by the coffee table so fast, a piece of paper flew off and fell to the floor. "What's this?" she asked as she put the paper back on the table.

"Oh that, I was just working on a song during your hours in the bathroom getting ready," he smiled, making fun of her. "I promise I'll play it for you when we get back, but we have to go!"

Julianna couldn't figure out why he was in such a rush, the buses were always late anyway, but she just assumed he didn't know that.

* * *

She saw the city lights, it was dark out. She didn't know where she was meeting Chris, but she figured if she didn't find him in ten minutes she could always hop on the bus heading back. "10 minutes," she muttered, "Ten minutes or I'll go right back to Nathan. Hear that God? I give you 10 minutes, send me whichever way." She had never really been a religious person, but she had always been indecisive, so she felt like leaving it up to someone else, like always.

She grabbed her bag out of the compartment above her seat. Her legs hurt after only standing up twice during the trip; once to use the bathroom, and once to grab a snack at one of the places they stopped.

"Haley!" She heard someone calling her name as soon as she got off the bus. Wow, it had taken Chris less than 10 seconds to spot her, she had to take that as a sign right? "Haley, snap out of it," she whispered to herself, she knew she was being irrational. She looked up and smiled at Chris.

Wait a minute? Was he holding some girl's hand? Weird… She gave him a half smile so he knew she had heard and seen him, and started the walk through the crowd where the two were standing.

"Hey Haley." He actually looked genuinely happy to see her. "What is up with him?" she wondered.

"Hey," she smiled.

"How was your bus ride?" he asked, totally mocking her now. She was feeling like the old Chris was back for at least a second.

"Thrilling, thanks for informing me I was going to be sitting for nine hours straight," she replied.

"Oh yeah, Haley…This is Julianna, I met her when I first got here, I stayed with her last night." Haley was confused again, so was he dating someone already?

"Wow, nice to meet you Julianna," she replied, trying to fake a smile. Why was Haley jealous all the sudden?

They all started the walk back to Julianna's apartment. Chris informed both Julianna and Haley how he had booked a hotel room for that night so Haley would have a place to stay. Haley decided to come back with them to the apartment so she could hear all about the stuff she had to do before the meeting with the guy from Maverick, Wednesday. She was actually getting rather excited about it, it was kind of an adrenaline rush getting such a big opportunity. Julianna wouldn't stop bugging Chris about playing the song she had accidentally found before, and he promised to play it as soon as they got back. Haley was still kind of confused about Julianna and Chris' relationship, but she figured out Chris definitely seemed different than back in Tree Hill. Kind of well, nice?

* * *

"Chris please play the song! Please!" Julianna begged as soon as they got back.

"Fiiiiiine, calm down Jules!" he joked. He helped Haley carry her stuff in and had her sit on the couch with Julianna. She looked surprisingly content , and he kind of had some hope that everything would all work out. He grabbed his guitar from the case, and sat down on one of the floor pillows near the couch. The two girls were a very attentive audience.

"So, it's only about half done, but anyway, I'll tell you what it's about when I'm done."

_Your brown hazel eyes _

_That's all he knew about you_

_That's all the stories I've heard_

_Dad told me your middle name once_

_But I've forgotten it twice _

_Mom said she's sorry_

_She wanted to tell you herself_

_She wanted you to know, _

_You weren't the only one_

_You're not alone_

_That's all I wanna say_

_Even though you'll never hear me_

_No matter how loud I speak_

_I wish I knew if you've heard of me_

'_Cause I want to believe_

_There's someone out there_

_Someone like me, but just like you_

_Just so you know…_

_You're not alone_

_That's all I wanna say_

_Even though you'll never hear me_

_No matter how loud I speak. _

_"Wow…Chris" she didn't really know what to say, she didn't really know what it was about. _

"It's about my half-sister. I never met her. She's 4 years younger than me. My dad told me about her a few times, he only saw her once. She has brown hazel eyes, like the songs says. I grew up with my dad after my mom ran away. She ended up marrying another man, and had a daughter. My half-sister. When she told my dad about my sister, she wrote it all in a note she planned to give her on her 16th birthday. Since my dad hasn't talked to my mom since, I have no idea if she ever got the note. I just hope she knows I'm somewhere, that I exist…

Haley swallowed hard, something about that story sounded familiar, she just couldn't put a finger on it. "Something sounds different," she whispered. Julianna and Chris both looked over, she didn't whisper quiet enough.

"What?" Chris asked.

"Nothing, I just wow, can't believe how late it is! I'm kind of tired," she replied.

"Lemme take you to the hotel, Haley. And yes Jules, I know where it is, I looked it up online after I called," he smiled at Jules answering what he knew would be her question.

* * *

"Thanks for walking me to the hotel Chris…thanks for taking care of me," she replied.

"I know, you'd be lost without me!" he joked. He was being the same old Tree Hill guy, _again_.

"Ya know Chris Keller…you're different around Julianna?" she replied, trying to beat him at his own game.

"What?" He was actually playing the confusion game well.

"You're, well…nicer around her," she replied.

"Oh Haley, that's just your imagination, again," he laughed. She could however tell he was hiding something. As they walked into the hotel, she contemplated telling him something about the song before. Something just didn't add up. She felt like she'd either heard it before or knew a piece of it.

Oh well, it was too late for her to think about it anymore. Chris checked her in and left her with a bit of his sarcastic humor and told her he'd call her in the morning with plans. Haley rushed up to the room to call Nathan, if he didn't pick up now she was going to have to call Luke again.

_**I assume you can guess.**_


	12. Bare

Hey Marit...I hope I didn't ruin the story...but don't worry, that's more of a storyline for later. It'll be ok, I think! haha

SO...these chapters seem to be harder and harder to write, because I'm dealing with stuff that Mark wrote, and therefore have to work around that, and I have a hard time meshing anything I write with something else someone writes...so, it'll just have to be the way it is. This chapter is kinda dull too...sorry. I'll try and weave in some drama later that won't kill the story, hopefully

By the way, shorter chapters until Saturday (including today)...I had an exam today, and I have one on Thursday and Friday too, there might not even be another chapter tomorrow cause I'll be pretty busy. Sorry! I know, I've been so good lately!

* * *

**_"Now I'm coming down _**

**_Hitting ground, breaking open _**

**_Twisted around the sweet sound _**

**_Of the lies_****_you told when you were broken"_**

She dialed home for the second time that day, but this time someone actually picked up.

"Hello?" It was Nathan, and she practically fell off the bed she was so happy.

"Nathan!" She couldn't control her excitement, and she wasn't going to pretend she could.

"Oh, it's my fugitive wife." It sounded almost like he was informing other people in the room, did he have someone over?

"Nathan…" She felt kind of hurt.

"Haley, you left without even waking me up." It was evident that neither was very happy with the other's actions.

"Nathan, do you even remember last night?"

"Yeah…I do…"

"When did I leave? How did you get home?"

"You left late, and Tim drove everybody home…"

"You let Tim drive? Nathan! You know better than that, Tim was almost as trashed as you!"

"Hales…"

"No Nathan, you have some things to work out, ok?"

"I have things to work out? You're skipping school to go to New York with Chris!"

"It's not about that. Chris is 21, and has a girlfriend, so just stop being defensive!"

"We were married and that didn't exactly stop him," Nathan replied coldly.

"Nathan, _what_ are you talking about?"

"Haley, just stop lying, alright?…I know he kissed you, I know you kissed him…"

"What?" It had happened, but how had he found out?

"You know Tim's brother works at the recording studio, he was leaving for the day when you came in. I'm not stupid Haley," he replied.

Ok, so she honestly had no idea Tim's brother worked there, or why Nathan hadn't said anything about it before Tric. "It meant nothing Nathan, you know that."

"I do, huh?" he replied dryly. "Just go follow your dreams Haley, but don't think I'm gonna pretend to care anymore." He hung up on her, and she was crushed. She wasn't sure if it was right of her to leave anymore, but it was too late. She'd been stupid, she'd made the decision, and there was no turning back.

* * *

"Hey Haley!" Why did Chris have to be so annoying cheery lately. Why was she the miserable, depressed musician one now?

"Hey Chris," she replied bitterly.

"You, ok?" He actually sounded concerned, damn him, she thought.

"Can we just talk about it later?" She turned from annoyed to pissed off pretty fast, after all she could almost blame all her marital problems on him. If he had never been around she wouldn't be having problems with Nathan.

"Yeah, sure," he replied, somewhat defeated. "I found an apartment." His big news was somewhat squashed by her miserable attitude. "So you can stay there if you want, I'll just stay with Jules. It's in the same building, but two floors up."

"Yeah, whatever," she replied. She was miserable and was kind of hoping everyone around her would be miserable too.

"Is it alright if I come by around 11?" He was kind of timid about pushing her into doing anything that day, but they had to start working on the stuff for the meeting on Wednesday.

"Yeah, sure…I'll meet you in the lobby," she replied with a sigh.

They both hung up, and Chris looked over at Julianna, "It's gonna be a long day."


	13. Thirteen

Soooo, sorry that took so long! Anyway, I should have a few more chapters up by the end of this weekend (which will be Monday for you Marit ) )

Anyway...I hope I'm not confusing you at all, I kinda put little details in and then expect you to remember them at the drop of a hat, so I hope that doesn't get too hard to follow.

* * *

"_**And it felt so good to take it seriously…" **_

Chris and Haley were in downtown rehearsing for their meeting with the CEO of Maverick. Andrew had brought them down to the studio he had been recording at, because it was a Sunday it was easy for them to rent a space.

"Nice run through Hales." Haley glared over at Chris.

"You know better than to call me that." She continued to glare at him.

"I'm sorry Haley." He shrugged. She'd been on edge all day, he though she was going to kill him if he made one more wrong move.

"You're up." She went over to sit in the office chair next to Andrew who was mixing a few things. She started fiddling with her cell, checking if she had possibly gotten any messages, even though she had checked them like five minutes before.

"Boy troubles?" Andrew looked over from the soundboard. Haley looked up and shrugged. "Is that a ring on your finger?" She shrugged again. "…but Chris said you're only 17."

"I am," she finally replied. "Oh, and no I'm not pregnant and I don't have a kid," she replied, she hated when people assumed that so she liked to dispel any rumors before they started.

"Well that's good to hear." He went back to mixing for a second. "He doesn't want you here, does he?"

"Nope," she replied bitterly.

"Do you wanna be here?"

"Yeah, I do more than anything. Well, just not more than being with Nathan. It's just that…" She paused throwing her cell phone down next to her on the counter. "It's just that we both have opportunities, actual opportunities, but we both decided to give them up for each other."

"You don't wanna do that, do you?" He looked up from the soundboard, waiting for an answer.

"I don't know…I just don't want that to be one of our memories. I just can't imagine looking back and thing 'Oh Nathan, you remember when we got married and gave up all our dreams?' or 'Nathan, you remember when you had that chance to be a professional basketball player, but oh yeah, you gave that up for little old me?'. " She looked over at Andrew who was still listening attentively. "It just seems like life is filled with enough 'could have beens' and 'what ifs.' I just don't want our relationship to be destroyed later on because of that. Then again, I don't want to lose the relationship we have now…" She looked up again and saw Chris in the background standing in the door frame. She realized he must have been there the whole time, probably since Andrew had looked up for the last time.

"Tell him Haley." He turned from the door frame, letting his guitar strap fall to the side. "You know what you want, you know what you want for him." Haley looked up at him. For once he was generally looking out for her, he wasn't saying that for his own motives.

* * *

"Awww, come on Haley, but we haven't eaten all day!" he was trying to get her to stop to grab something to eat on their way back to the apartment.

"Alright, fine…What do you want to eat?" She was in a better mood than before, but still wasn't going to feel much better unless she finally talked to Nathan.

"Ummm, sushi," he replied.

"Ewwwww." She tried to come up with her best disgusted face. She hated the stuff, the only person she knew that actually liked the stuff was Peyton, she could really chow it down.

"Fine, I kind of knew you would not go for that, nobody ever seems to. How about, pizza?"

"Hmmm, alright…but only one slice, I don't want to get fat if I'm actually going to be performing someday." Wait a minute, had she actually just referred to music as her future?

"Come on, I'll show you the apartment!" He was really happy about finally living in a place he could well, be proud of. He had never been happy in Tree Hill, and New York had given him an opportunity to be something else, someone else even.

"Hold on." Haley tried to catch up as Chris was practically skipping up the steps. "I told you to only let me have one piece of pizza, look at what you did to me now!" They both laughed.

When they got to the door, their was a heart post it note stuck to the door:

_You can thank John!_

It was signed with a heart and then Julianna. As he pulled out the key, Haley asked, "Wait, who's John?"

"Andrew's, errr…boyfriend?" Sometimes it was just hard for guys to actually say that out loud, he'd have to work on it.

"Wait, Andrew's gay? He was kind of hot!" Haley joked. Chris just shook is head as he opened the door. Whoever said food that's bad for you also makes you feel better was really right. "Woaaaah. Now I didn't see this place before, but it definitely couldn't of looked like this before."

"You're telling me." The apartment had been rented as "unfurnished," but whoever had lived there before had left behind a couple things. Julianna and John had done a lot to it though. The counters had been cleaned, knowing Chris that would have taken a month. There looked like there may have even been a new bed, there were at least sheets and a comforter. End tables, towels, glasses, plates, everything.

"Wait, wait, I wanna see his face first!" Two people were bounding up the stairs, Chris could tell by her voice that one was Jules. "Sooooo?" she asked as she bounded into the room out of breath. John was a few steps behind her.

"Damn you and your athleticism!" John joked as he practically fell over after walking through the door.

"Wow, that was only three flights of stairs John. We'll have to worry about whipping you into shape tomorrow though. First, we have to see if he likes it!"

"Awww, of course I like it Jules!" He walked over and gave her a hug and a kiss on the cheek.

She blushed, "It was all John, though." She smiled looking over at John who looked pretty proud of himself.

"It was nothing…I just used some of the stuff from other jobs I've had. People are so picky when it comes to stuff…" he trailed off.

"Since we're not playing 'guess what' John, I guess I'll inform them you're an interior designer." They all laughed.

"Hey, I'm not ashamed!"

"You're just, cryptic?" She loved making fun of him, he just looked hilarious when he got all defensive.

"You are really lucky I failed English."

They all joked around for about an hour before Julianna left to study for a test she had the next day, and John left to meet Andrew for some music thing that night, leaving Chris and Haley alone in the apartment.

Chris went over to throw a few dishes in the dishwasher, half out of curiosity to see if it actually worked and half out of the fact he may have actually wanted to keep the place clean. "You nervous about Wednesday?" He looked over at Haley who was sitting on the floor fiddling around with his guitar, making up chords.

"Yeah, a little. Then again I have no idea what I'm up against, I wasn't their with you Friday."

"True." He was going through the cupboards looking for dishwasher soap.

"I miss my guitar." She sighed. "I wish I hadn't had my parents give it away when they sold the house, I miss it."

"You can use mine for the audition if you want"

"Yeah, maybe." She looked over and saw him shuffling through the stuff in the cupboards. "You alright?"  
He held up the dishwash soap. "Yeah, just where do you put this stuff?"

* * *

**Day 6: Wednesday **

Haley handed Chris back his guitar. She smiled at him, she knew she'd nailed the solo performance and he had done an amazing job as well. She had been a little shaky at the beginning of "When the Stars Go Blue," but she had really gotten into it by the end. They both looked over at Mr. Oseary who started shuffling papers around on his desk. They were both nervous, and Chris started making up ultimatums in his head, he didn't want to continue on with music forever if he wasn't going to get anywhere.

"Hmmm." Mr. Oseary pulled out a sheet of paper. Haley grabbed Chris' hand, and was squeezing kind of hard. Chris didn't mind, it was just kind of weird, it's amazing how different Haley was from situation to situation. "When do you turn 18, Ms. James?" Mr. Oseary leaned back in his chair.

"November." She could barely get the words out.

"Don't worry, I just don't always like taking on artists that are too young, you have to sign different contracts."

"Oh." She had never really thought of that, her parents had always given her a lot of freedoms, she wasn't even living with them anymore.

"Well. You remember that contract I showed you last week Mr. Keller?"

"Yeah."

"Well, we actually lost that one. But…Sara was kind enough to make a new one," he joked. "Anyway, it was a good thing she also made up one for Ms. James over there." He placed two sheets of paper out on his desk. One for Haley, and one for Chris. "Now Ms. James, you'll have to have your parents sign a copy sometime, because I'm afraid we can't take on artists under 18 under full contract unless we get permission from the parents."

Haley let go of Chris' hand as they both went to sign the papers.

"By the way, these are only tentative contracts. There are longer contracts that you'll have to sign later on with a lawyer." They both however skimmed the short contract, just to make sure they were not signing away their lives.

As they both placed a pen to the paper they could breathe a sigh of relief, six days and maybe fate had changed.


	14. Honestly

Another dull but necessary chapter. And that's what I'm here to do Marit, make you have a crush on Chris! P

I hope to have a longer one up for you tomorrow!

* * *

"_**We'd have better luck the second time around, Its always better the second time I hear."**_

"So what are you gonna do now Haley?" Chris asked as they both sat on a bench near Washington Park. She looked up, her eyes squinting from the bright sun. It was kind of cold outside for March even though the sun was out, but then it was New York, a lot more North than Tree Hill.

"I'm gonna go back tomorrow." She sniffled from the cold. "I have to talk to Nathan, I have to hand in a paper, and I have to figure out how to finish this school year." She looked over at Chris. "I'll be back for the meeting next week, don't worry." She half smiled.

"You sure you want to do this?"

"Yeah, I signed the contract. I'm in…"

"You also said the vows." He couldn't believe what he was saying, it was like he was talking her out of it, but he really didn't want her to make a mistake in her mind.

She looked over at him kind of shocked. He'd never even really recognized her marriage before. "Yeah, I know. But it's not like I'm breaking it off, I'm just seizing an opportunity, just the way I expect Nathan to." She was for minute sure of herself, she knew she'd lose it when she got home, but if she could just keep it together now, maybe she'd be alright.

* * *

**Day 7: Thursday **

It sucked getting up at 4am, but it sucked even more to sit on a bus for nine hours. She went over and over in her head what she was going to say to Nathan, but getting off the bus she still didn't know if she had the courage to say it all. She called Luke to pick her up from the bus station, he looked happy to see her, and when she told him what happened he wished her luck and told her to call him if she ever needed anything.

Walking up to the door of the apartment, she couldn't tell if she was supposed to walk right in. What the hell, it was her apartment. She pulled out her key and started to open the door, when someone from the other side turned the knob. Nathan opened the door before she couldn't finish getting her key out of the lock. He looked her in the eyes, hurt. She just looked right back at him.

"I'm sorry." She looked down at her feet and then back up at Nathan, "I just don't want to live my life pretending."

"And I don't want to live my life without you Hales." he didn't break his gaze with hers as he opened the door for her to come in.

"Nathan, don't you ever wish for something different. Don't you ever wonder what could happen to you if you go to High Flyers? I just don't want either of us to have regrets forever."

"I wouldn't ever regret it."

"Nathan! Yes you would! Look at your dad! Look at what happened to him, he's turned into an evil scheming bastard, all because his didn't get the opportunity…he didn't get the opportunity you have!" Nathan hated to be compared to his father. "Nathan I don't want to be without you, I just want both of us to live with our decisions we make now." She hugged him, she leaned her head against his chest.

Nathan pulled away for a second, "When do you have to leave again?"

"Sunday," she replied.

"Then I guess I'm going to have to live with it, even if that means you'll be gone for a while."

It was like everyone had given in, it almost seemed too perfect.

They talked for what felt like hours, Haley was starting to feel that her decision would actually bring them closer together, even if at times they'd be further apart.

* * *

Sunday rolled around way too fast. It was going to be her last day in Tree Hill for at least a month, and that scared her a little. She'd managed to hang out with Nathan for a majority of the time, but also wrote two papers for school. She'd be able to write the remainder of her papers from New York and email them home, she was ahead enough in the courses to just complete a final paper instead of a final exam for most of her classes. She'd wanted to hang out with Brooke, Peyton, and Luke a little before she left, but it seemed like Brooke and Luke were together 24/7. She finally decided to call Peyton on Sunday, and headed over to her house 4 hours before she was supposed to leave for New York.

"Hey Peyton," she smiled, slowly walking into her room. "Your dad is home, that's weird…"

"Yeah, he's home for like a day, first time in what, a year?" Haley could tell Peyton was feeling kind of pessimistic. Peyton looked down at the unopened letter which looked like it had her name perfectly written in calligraphy on the outside. "I can't believe I never opened this…it's one of the last things from my mom that still remains a mystery." She stood up and threw the letter back onto her vanity.

"When'd she give it to you?" Haley sat down on the edge of Peyton's bed, and Peyton sat down next to her.

"She didn't, my dad gave it to me. He says he found it with her stuff. I don't think I'm ever gonna open it though, I don't know if whatever she wrote even matters anymore, it's not gonna bring her back." Haley rested her hand on Peyton's shoulder, and then put her head down on top of her hand. "I forgot about opening it on my 16th birthday, and since then have kinda just decided if I had forgotten it on the day it said to open it, it's just better off unopened."

"What? Your 16th birthday?" Haley's head popped up, she looked kind of nervous.

"Yeah, on the back it says I was supposed to open it when I turned 16, my mom must have written it a while ago. You always read about those parents who write those what if letters when their kids are like three, she must have gone through some phase." She looked over at Haley, who had turned kind of a pasty white. "You ok?"

"Yeah…yeah, sorry…" That was too weird, but Peyton was right, lots of moms do that when their kids are little. It wasn't possible that the letter was the same one from Chris's song, that's be too weird.

"I can't believe your leaving Haley!" Peyton attempted to take the focus off herself, feeling kind of selfish. "I couldn't believe it when Lucas called and told me! You got a record deal, that's too insane!"

"Yeah, I'm pretty excited, it'll be fun." Her reply was definitely not as enthusiastic as Peyton's.

"You ok Haley? I thought I also heard you worked stuff out with Nathan." Her look turned from enthusiasm to concern.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I guess I'm just gonna miss all of you." She gave Peyton a half smile.

"Aww, we're gonna miss you Haley James."

* * *

Nathan pickedHaley up from Peyton's house less than an hour before her bus was scheduled to depart They didn't say much on the car ride there, except for Haley's usual warnings. When they did get there Nathan looked over at Haley, "So this is it?"

"Nathan, you know it's not, so stop acting like it is…" He placed a piece of her hair that had fallen out of her clip behind her ear.

"I know, I'm kidding." He kissed her on the lips, not wanting to let her go and lose her for that month.

"You promise to call High Flyers, right?" He looked the other way. "Nathan, you have to promise me."

"I'll do it, alright…I promise." She smiled and kissed him before she grabbed her stuff out of the backseat. Getting out the car she started to walk towards the terminal, but she turned around.

"I love you!" she called to him and blew him a kiss. He just smiled as he watched her walk away.

Too bad we're not all good that good at good-byes.


	15. Give it All Away

I dedicate this chapter, as withall chapters, to the lovely Marit! ) )

_**

* * *

**_

"It doesn't take too much to say, to feel alive, I'd give it all away."

The next three weeks were a blur. They'd been performing at a few different clubs across New York trying to build up a small fan base before they started recording an album. They spent most of their days writing songs. The label had them recording in three months, that was why they were looking for a fan base to buy the record after they'd be recording. On the off days however they worked on EP's to be sold at shows, just to give people a taste.

Julianna and Chris had gotten really close over those three weeks, every minute he wasn't doing something music related, he was with her. Julianna was however also busy, as she was trying to complete her senior year curriculum during her junior year to graduate a year early, or at least a semester early.

Haley was starting to feel alone, she missed Nathan, and sometimes phone calls didn't seem like enough. They'd talk for hours on end every night, but there's something about not actually having someone there that can break your heart. She'd spend her free time finishing up her junior year, it didn't take long as she was so ahead already.

* * *

"Haley, you ok?" Chris called from the kitchen as he threw in some toast so maybe Haley would actually eat something. John had taken the apartment in Julianna's building just a week after Chris had rented it, because the record company had given them an apartment to both stay in close to both the Maverick offices and the recording studio they were using.

"I can't believe you talked me into having sushi two nights ago, I think I'm going to be sick forever." She walked into the kitchen looking terrible. Her hair was a mess and she wasn't dressed yet, even though they had to leave in less than an hour.

"Haley, you sure you ok? You want to go to the doctor or something?" He looked her kind of concerned.

"No, I'll be fine. Just remind me to never eat sushi again. EVER again." She walked away to go get dressed in her bedroom.

* * *

They spent another day at the Maverick office. Haley couldn't believe how much scheduling stuff there was to do, and how much image consultation she'd have to go through. It was crazy, they'd ask her to do weird things, telling her how to dress and such. Her stomachache went away by the afternoon, and she started looking forward to the show that night. They were starting to get a real following, so people actually were starting to recognize her songs at that point, and everybody loved the duet. Her cell phone started to ring as she dazed off in another logistics meeting. She quickly excused herself and ducked into the hallway.

"Hello?"

"Guess where I am." It was Nathan, she knew is voice better than anyone's.

She laughed, "Where?" She just loved hearing his voice sometimes.

"A half hour outside of New York, babe." Her lips curled into a smile.

"Seriously?" She was starting to sound like a giddy teenager. "How are you going to find me?"

"I'm a guy, we don't get lost," he joked.

"Uh-oh," she sarcastically replied.

He laughed, "Calm down Hales, I'm a guy WITH a map."

"You're still gonna get lost, but alright."

"8th avenue, 1450, 4D, right?" He glanced over at the piece of paper he had her apartment number written down on while still trying to drive.

"Yeah, I'll meet you there." She said goodbye and ducked back into the room to quickly whisper to Chris that she'd have to ditch him for the rest of the days meetings. He looked kind of pissed, but she'd covered for him before.

She jumped in the shower after literally running home. She started to get dressed and glanced over at the clock. She knew he'd get lost or stuck in traffic, it'd been an hour since he'd called. She pulled her favorite jeans out of the drawer and started to put them on when she realized they wouldn't button. "Damn it," she muttered. She made a mental note to pay closer attention to the diet she'd been on. Those jeans had fit the week before, even though they were tight then, at least they buttoned. She grabbed her second favorite pair of jeans, at least those still fit. She heard a knock just as she was throwing on a t-shirt. "Coming!" she shouted, she was practically shaking she was so excited.

She could barely wait the half second to open the door to hug Nathan. She'd missed him so much. She hugged him for what felt like forever. She grabbed a sweatshirt and her purse before she started to lead Nathan down to the park. She loved it there, she always enjoyed people watching. They sat on a bench, Nathan pulled her close and put his arm around her.

"So how's life in the spotlight Haley?" Nathan joked.

"I'm actually having a blast thank you very much," she replied in a matter of fact tone.

"When are you coming home Hales? You can't play rockstar forever…" She sat up, his arm still on her shoulder.

"Nathan, I'm not 'playing rockstar,' I'm actually performing, and yeah I actually work. I sit in meetings all day." She didn't want to ruin their time together, but if he was going to treat her like that she wasn't going to stand for it.

"Oh, look who's all grown up. Nothing is ever really gonna come of this, you don't actually believe something is, do you Haley?" Why did he have to sound so much like Dan?

She stood up letting his arm fall off her shoulder. "Wow, I'm gone for like three weeks and this is what happens? When I was in Tree Hill you supported anything I wanted to do with music, but I actually get a chance and you turn on me!"

"Hales, I just want you to be home with me." He looked up at her, his eyes squinting in the sun.

"Nathan, we're both 17, we'll be together for the rest of our lives!" He looked into her eyes, hurt. She just couldn't understand why he wanted to throw out the dreams that they had both worked so hard for.

"But what about now?"

"For now…" she bit her lip. "For now we make up for the time everyone else spends falling in love."

"No, we figure out how we let it fall apart so fast." He stood up and started walking away. Haley followed him, putting her hand on his arm.

"What are you talking about?"

"I was willing to give it all up for you, but the more I try to tell you that, the further you run away!"

"Nathan, I don't want you to give it up for me!" Tears were starting to form in her eyes, and people were staring at them, but she didn't care.

"Too bad music won't love you back." He looked her in the eyes, watching her try to hold back tears. He walked away and there was no point of her chasing after him at that point.


	16. Are You Sad?

Short chapter (again!) but I promise to get a longer one up eventually...but again I've got another two exams this week! (but then I'm done! finally!)

And also, a VERY happy announcement! I have a new reviewer! Michelle! (Marit and I welcome you to the circle!...even though I am speaking for Marit here : ) )You write the most amazing reviews I would have to say I've ever seen on any of the stories I've read on here. I read through a few of the chapters of your stories (which I promise to review for as soon as I get a free minute again, because they are incredibly well written (you are my writing idol!))

It feels great to have two amazing reviewers! Like they always say, it's quality over quantity and I must say you two are proof of that!

Oh... and by the way, if you haven't noticed, all of the chapters have the title of songs, and most have a quote from that song. I plan on posting the names with theartists of these songs with the last chapter some long ways down the road. Anyway, minor detail. I've always liked how they did that on OTH though, I'm also a music freak, what can I say?

...there was one other thing I can't remember I planned on putting, but I'll think of it later and put it in the next chapter. (Especially before this little note at the top becomes longer than the chapter itself!)

* * *

"_**I'm trying to reach your hand, but I'm on fire. I never planned to fade... away. Stay with me. Stop pretending when they say that you're nothing."**_

"Haley, I think you left your flat iron on again!" Chris called as he opened the door of the apartment. He looked over and saw it wasn't her flat iron, but the oven was on. He pulled out the pie that was in the oven. "Uh-oh, she's baking," he muttered. Just from the three weeks of living with her, he knew that whenever she baked it was bad new, something was up. He walked over to the coffee table and picked up a notebook that had the words "The music won't love you back" written in swirly girly handwriting, each letter painstakingly traced over numerous times on the cover.

"Haley?" He knocked on the bathroom door. He could here her crying faintly. He heard her start shuffling things around, and going through cabinets. She opened the door.

"I'm going home," she replied, her voice barely challenging the thick maple door between them. She brushed past him with hair care products and makeup in hand.

"What happened Haley?" he looked at her wide-eyed as a box fell from her grasp. He picked it up as she just stood frozen. It was a pregnancy test. "Haley…" he trailed off.

She swiftly turned around and threw the stuff left in her arms onto the queen sized bed where her suitcase laid already half packed. She just kept moving, frantically, grabbing clothes from every side of the room. Chris walked over and sat on the bed, he just watched silently as she ran around.

"Haley, stop!" he finally interjected. She just kept packing. "Haley, just stop already!" He stood up and grabbed her by the shoulders, gently, but strong enough to stop her from trying to move. She started to cry, he guided her over to the bed, letting her sit down. She covered her face with her hands and started talking, but it was impossible to understand the words muffled by her hands. "Look at me." He pulled her hands away from her face.

"Nathan doesn't love me!" she blurted out.

"Haley, stop it, of course Nathan loves you!" He was scared for her, he'd never seen her like this before. He brushed her hair out of her damp eyes, trying to read her true emotions beyond the tears. He hated that he couldn't help her, and he couldn't come up with anything to say.

"He came today, that's why I left during the meeting. We went to the park, he told me he wanted me to come home. He told me it wasn't worth staying here, I wasn't ever going to get anywhere running around New York." The words flowed out too fast for him to catch them all, but the pain on her face faded for a moment, freed from a little bit of the turmoil inside.

"You know better than that, you know he loves you all the same. He's just as lost as you." His four years more heartbreak experience made him sound wiser than she felt she could ever be. "He won't let you go, you're too good a catch Haley."

She wanted to believe him, but she felt the tears building up. She reached for the box that was still in Chris's hand from when he picked it up before. He handed it to her as she reached for it. Neither knew what to say about that. After a few moments of uncomfortable silence, Haley finally spoke up.

"I just bought it on the way home. I guess I got kind of scared, I hadn't really thought about it before, but between being sick, and the days late, and talking to Nathan. It's just all the doubts." She looked away, focusing her eyes on the vanity across the room. "I didn't take it yet." She bit her lip and looked back over at Chris. She started to get nervous, looking into his blue eyes, completely void of expression. Caught between fear and pain she stood up and headed to the bathroom, test in hand.

Chris just sat there, he couldn't stop her. It wasn't his life, and he knew it was never going to go away. "Either way, Haley…" She turned around in the hallway looking back at his reflection from the full length mirror which hung on the half opened door of her bedroom. She wanted him to say she wouldn't be alone, he'd said all the right words since they'd been in New York, he could be wrong forever after this, just as long as he was right this on more time. "Either way, you've got a piece of him, Haley. He's always in your heart, and I guarantee you'll always be in his." He gave her a half smile, a vote of confidence if anything.

She turned around and walked towards the bathroom. Her heart fluttered as she opened the box and read the directions. It didn't seem like rocket science, a simple "yes" or "no" digital read out, but she was thankful for a minute that she hadn't grabbed one of the ones with the blue lines, she couldn't take the guessing at that point. As she took the test she realized how much less glamorous it was than how they always showed it on those stupid dramas on tv. She sat on the edge of the bathtub waiting for the five minute waiting period to elapse, her leg involuntarily bouncing. She squinted at the mirror, trying to see what it said from a distance.

It'd been ten minutes, she knew it only took five, but she wasn't nearly brave enough go get up and check. She continued to try the mirror trick, but with no avail. The anticipation was killing her at that point. She finally took the few steps to the counter, staring down fate.

* * *

Sorry for the cliffhanger (that could possibly last a while)! Hey, how about we have a little reader interaction here...which way do you wish it to go? Now that I have TWO reviewers it should be fun, haha...we could even get a tie now! 


	17. Sooner or Later

Marit, you forgot to vote! hahaha...anyway, to my one voter, you got it )

Anyway, this is so short it's almost stupid to post it, but my two exams are the next two days, so I don't want to leave it until Thursday.

* * *

"_**Pull the hair back from your eyes, let the people see your pretty face. Some things you have to learn them all on your own, you can't rely on anybody else." **_

Those three letters were going to change her life. Those three letters were her future, the future that was going to become the present, which was already moving too fast. She'd gotten married less than six months before, she'd found a way to start a career in music, and now she was pregnant. "Damn it," she muttered. She leaned up against the wall, her heart started beating at an anxious pace. How was she going to take care of a child, when she was still one herself? She set her hand down on the counter, accidentally knocking her hair brush to the floor.

"You ok Haley?"Chris called to her, but she could tell he must havebeen right outside the door for at least the past five minutes.

"Yeah….I'm fine. I'll be out in a minute." She looked up at the ceiling for a few seconds, biting her lip. She stood up straight and threw the test and the box in the garbage. She looked in the mirror and tried to put on her best fake smile. She reached for the door knob, she'd have to face everyone eventually.

She opened the door and Chris looked up at her. He was sitting cross-legged with his guitar right across from the bathroom door. "I swear I only came over here after I heard you drop something." She didn't exactly expect to face anyone _that_ quickly.

Her expression didn't change at all. Just looking up at her, Chris could tell the smile was too fake, he didn't even have to ask what the result was. "Sometimes those things are wrong…right?"

Her forced smile disappeared. "No, it's right," she replied, looking away. She knew it was, it made sense. The days matched up, she'd been sick.

"It'll be ok Haley." She sat down next to him.

"What's going to happen? I wasn't planning on giving up." She looked at him, her eyes pleading.

"We've only got two more months of performances. And as for recording the CD, that couldn't take less than six months really. You'll only have to worry about promoting it." She leaned over, letting her head rest on his shoulder.

"What's Nathan going to say?" She looked up at Chris, her perfect brown eyes looking for the perfect answer, something reassuring.

"That he loves you." He was what she alwayswished Taylor could have been, like an older sibling who actually cared.


	18. Pretty in Pink

soooo, this chapter felt WAY longer when I was writing it, but oh well.

As you can see, the title of the chapter is a movie, not a song this time. The background of "Pretty in Pink" is there is this girl Andie who is best friends with this guy Duckie. Duckie loves Andie, he cares about her a lot, but Andie just takes it as a joke. Andie falls for this guy Blaine, he's popular and rich. Duckie tells her she's gonna get her heart broken, but in the end Andie chooses Blaine over Duckie. The movie ends with her with Blaine, so you never really find out if in the end she gets her heart broken. Anyway, I leave you with that!

* * *

"_**This is an incredibly romantic moment, and you're ruining it for me!" Duckie**_

The phone interrupted them amidst one moment of clarity. Haley had put aside her fears for a moment, Chris was enjoying a moment of actually being able to take care of her. He actually felt _responsible_ for once in his life. They were just enjoying being. For a moment neither even considered getting up to answer it, but Chris knew it was Jules, and knew he didn't want her to worry or anything. When had he become so damn sensitive, anyway?

"Hey Jules," he picked up the phone on what had to be the last ring.

"Hey, when did you get Caller ID?"

"I didn't, but I always answer the phone assuming it's you. It's worth making you happy, what can I say?" he jokingly replied.

"Woah, seriously?" She was feeling kind of flattered.

"Jules, it's 5:01, you said you'd call at 5. Who else would it be?" he laughed.

"You like making fun of me, don't you?"

"Yeah, but it's way more fun in person. You're almost more gullible in person, probably because I'm just so convincing."

"You're right, you smile and you can get me to believe anything." They were both silent for a minute, just enjoying the company. "So when are we meeting up tonight at the show?"

"Hold on." Chris ducked into the kitchen, he didn't really want Haley to hear him. "I got us out of playing tonight, Haley's going through some stuff right now. You mind if I just hang out with her for tonight, I wanna make sure she's ok…"

"Yeah…yeah, that's fine." She bit her lip, she couldn't believe she was jealous of a 17 year old. A married 17 year old for that matter. Chris could tell she was kind of let down. It had been almost a week since he'd seen her, he missed her more than anything, he'd just been so busy.

"I'm sorry Jules."

"No, it's cool. I'll be done with school soon too, so we'll be able to hang out more then too." She was trying desperately to cheer herself up.

"Well, as long as you're not crying or anything. I wouldn't want you to mess up the makeup you just spent an hour putting on before you go out with the drama girls."

"Stop doing that!" she laughed. "I swear if you keep guessing what I'm doing you're not always going to be too thrilled," she joked. She secretly loved how he could always guess what she was doing, she loved knowing he cared. They were both silent again.

"I love you Jules." He'd never said it before, but at that very moment it just felt right. It may not have seemed strategically like the perfect time, but he decided to go for it. He got a little worried for a moment when she didn't say anything back.

"I love you too," she broke the silence. He was secretly jumping for joy on the inside, she hadn't just said "ok" or nothing at all.

"Call me when you get home maybe?"

"Yeah, if it's not too late, you know the deal."

"Yeah, gotcha," he replied. He started to head back to the living room. They exchanged good-byes and Chris threw the phone down on the couch. He walked back to the hallway where he'd left Haley, she wasn't there. He glanced down the hallway to her room and saw her laying down on her bed staring at the ceiling, the door wide open. He walked in, and sat on the end of her bed.

"What if I told you I got us out of that open-mic the record company wanted us to do tonight?" He smiled coyly.

"I thought that was Julianna on the phone?" She sat up, she was clutching the stuffed rabbit she'd had since she was a little kid. She just couldn't bring herself to get rid of it, even though the ears were tattered and half the stuffing had fallen out long before.

"Yeah, but I cancelled it earlier. When…yeah…" he trailed off. He knew she'd get it, he didn't have to say exactly when.

"Thanks." She let her head slide back down to the pillow. She didn't want to move, she didn't want to cry, she just wanted to be numb. Chris laid down on the pillow next to her. He was going to get her out of the apartment tonight if it killed him.

"So what do you want to do tonight?" She just continued to lay their silent, it was almost like she wasn't blinking. "Haley?" He touched her arm trying to get her to snap out of it.

She blinked a few times. "Yeah? Sorry, I just drifted off for a minute."

"You want to rent a few movies and grab a pizza?" He was trying desperately to cheer her up, she just shrugged. "Come on, I'm not letting you mope here all night." He got up and grabbed her sweatshirt that was hanging off the back of a chair and threw it on the bed. "Come on!" She rolled over an looked in the other direction. "I'm not letting you stay here all night and mope."

"Well you can't make it all go away, can you?" she asked in an angry tone.

He just walked away, defeated.

"Wait." She sat up, her eyes were filling up with tears, but she was doing the best job she could holding them back. "It's not your fault, It just hasn't all sunk in yet."

"Are you going to enjoy your last night before it does sink in?"

She managed to at least get out a half smile. She felt her heart drop, she couldn't believe how quickly her life was changing. "Why not?"

* * *

They spent the night watching movies, mostly 80's chick flicks at Haley's request, and Chris didn't mind making the sacrafice for her sake.

"Hey Duckie, you wanna watch 'The Breakfast Club?'" she joked, laughing and throwing a pillow at Chris.

"Hey! I am much better looking than Duckie!" He threw the pillow back at her.

"Only some day," she laughed, sticking her tongue out at him mockingly. "But definitely not when your hair looks like that!" she joked.

"Hey I like it like this!"

"You like looking like you just got electrocuted? You know it didn't work for Duckie."

"Oh, but they didn't finish the movie, Duckie actually gets a prettier girl with _much_ better hair," he replied.

"I guess Andi's the one that missed out then…" she trailed off. Some days she wondered what she was missing out on. She'd picked the Blaine before she ever met the Duckie.


	19. Hurricane

"_**So pull me under your weather patterns, your cold fronts and the rain don't matter, 'cause a sun burn's what I needed."  
**_

Chris opened his eyes and it took him a minute or two to figure out where he was. He must have fallen asleep on the couch the night before, then he remembered the movie night with Haley. "Haley," he called out somewhat groggily. He stood up and grabbed a few things off the coffee table and brought them into the kitchen. He walked down the hallway towards her room, but stopped when he heard the shower go on. At least he knew where she was. He glanced over at the clock in his room as he walked by the door, "We've got an hour Haley!" he called to her, hoping she'd hurry up in the shower so he could hop in before they had to leave.

"Ok!" she shouted back.

"Eggs?" he asked as she walked out in jeans and a t-shirt, her wet hair tied up in a loose bun.

"No, I don't think so," she looked at the frying eggs in disgust.

"If I remember correctly, eggs were one of your favorite foods less than a week ago."

"They were, they just don't look appetizing, I'm not really hungry…" she trailed off walking away. Chris looked at her curiously, but then went back to cooking. He still had to shower and change, and they had to be in the Maverick office within the hour.

* * *

"I'm telling Joey." Haley looked over at Chris as they walked down the steps of the apartment building. She waited patiently for a reply. Joey was their talent manager for the time being, he managed all the new acts. Apparently you actually have to be famous before you can get your own manager, go figure. "He's gonna be mad, I know, but I can't live a lie, especially at someone else's expense," she added. She brushed the hair out of her eyes and put her hands in her pockets.

Chris looked over at her, she was probably one of the most lost souls he had ever met. Then again it was partially his fault, he had asked her to come to New York in the first place. "Either way I'm behind you." He put his hand on her shoulder. She loved feeling protected, even if it was just for a minute.

* * *

"Woah look who's here! Better late than never I suppose," Joey greeted them. Haley and Chris had walked into the office 5 minutes late, and slid into two of the office chairs trying to go unnoticed while Joey was on the phone, it obviously didn't work. "What was up with you guys last night, I never expected you to cancel on me…especially you Keller…" Joey looked up, both Chris and Haley were silent. He drummed his fingers on the desk, "Alright, really, what's up?"

"Woah, I totally forgot to grab the recording of that song we were working on last week from Dan down at the recording studio, I'll be back in five." Chris glanced over at Haley before he ducked out of the room before Joey could stop him.

"Well he's gonna be disappointed when he gets there and finds out Dan dropped it off yesterday," John laughed, looking over at Haley. She just smiled uneasily, maybe telling him now wasn't the best idea.

"Come on doll face, what happened to the Haley who was singing Madonna at the top of her lungs three days ago for that recording, which came out amazing by the way." He pulled out a binder, the next few months of her life already mapped out on the pages bound within it.

"I don't know how much longer I can do this," she looked up from wringing her hands in her lap.

"Come on Haley, I thought we were passed this." Haley looked down again, a little ashamed.

"I am…I was."

"What now? What is that husband of yours up to?" Joey didn't like acknowledging the fact she was married, it gave him less of a promotional angle to work with. Haley didn't answer his question. "Haley what is it?" Joey tried, but he lacked any ability to be empathetic. He'd admit it himself, he had a lot more fun watching someone be miserable than watching them succeed, as long as it wasn't on his dime or time, so for Haley he actually had to act like he cared.

"Well…" Haley mumbled. "Speaking of Nathan…"

"Yeah, James?"

"I'm gonna guess kids and music careers don't really mix. Kind of how you feel marriages and music don't seem to mix."

"What? James? …Keller, get your ass in here, I know you're just standing out in the hallway." Chris walked in, shrugging his shoulders. He mouthed 'sorry Haley' to her as he walked in and sat back down in the office chair. "What did you do to her Keller? Somebody say something!" Joey demanded.

"What? Me? I didn't do anything!" Chris replied defensively. Joey's glare switched from Chris to Haley.

"This is bad…bad, bad, bad." Joey sat back in his office chair, placing his hand on his forehead. "Listen, we're going to have to work this out, because I'm not losing you two over this. We had an amazing image to work with before. Maybe if married girl hadn't been married and hadn't decided to go and get knocked up we'd be in a lot better shape right now!" Sensitivity was definitely not Joey's thing. "Listen, brilliant idea. Chris, you could wear a wedding band and we'd have an even better image! It's like Sonny and Cher times 10!"

"Joey, you've lost it! It's a lie and I don't know if you've noticed, but it's also illegal! Haley's 17!"

"Hey, who's managing your music career?" Joey raised his eyebrow, the good ol' power trip.

"Come on Joey. We've got two months left of touring, and then we'll be recording for at least six, it'll work out."

Joey pushed the schedule book towards Chris, "If you're the expert."

"Listen, stop fighting like I'm not even in the room!" Haley cried. Both men looked over at her. "Listen, you seem to all think I planned this or something. Well for your information I did not plan the likely demise of my marriage, nor did I plan having a kid at 17 thank you very much!" Everyone was silent for a moment.

"Alright, if we all calm down for a minute, we can work this out. Normally, just so you know, you'd be dropped from a label like that if something like this ever happened. You're lucky I'm generous." Chris and Haley were starting to realize why the music industry got such a bad rap all the time. "We'll shoot the promos for the album ASAP, you tour for another two and a half months instead of two, and you record for seven. We release it for Valentines Day. Then, no more slip ups, alright?"

"Yeah," Haley replied. She thought making a record would be more exciting, but now it seemed like it was all about logistics.

* * *

"Wow. I don't know if that was better or worse than I expected." Chris opened the apartment door, bag of groceries in hand.

"Awww, come on…making Joey almost cry was sort of funny. You have to admit..." Haley followed him into the apartment, she was trying her best just to laugh at herself. "You going out with Julianna tonight?" She grabbed in apple out of the paper bag as soon as Chris set it down.

"Yeah, I'm going over there around six."

"Are you actually going to be back before tomorrow morning? Unlike last time," she laughed. She loved making fun of him for that one night two weeks before.

"Hey! Nothing happened!" He pretended to splash a glass of water on her before he poured it out in the sink.

"Suuuuuure," Haley mocked. Her happy-go-lucky attitude went away when she looked over at her cell phone sitting on the counter. The light was blinking and the screen read "5 missed calls." She felt herself being sucked back into Tree Hill just like that. She scrolled through the missed calls list; two were from Peyton, one was from her mom and dad, and two were from Lucas. She felt her heart sink, she was hoping Nathan would have called by that time, she didn't even know if he had gotten home alright. She started to run through scenarios in her head; life with Nathan, life without him. She set the cell phone back down on the counter. Life was just hitting her too fast, and she had decided to run in the other direction at full speed.


	20. Two Days in February

**_Sorry! I've been away for sooo long, and I'm still not going to be back for a while, so I don't know if i'll get another chapter in before august, this was hard as it was. So to anyone who is still reading, THANK YOU! _**

(PS: this doesn't take place in February, it's just the title of a song.)

* * *

"_**I know you're living way out west and I don't think that I confessed everything I feel" **_

"And that's a wrap!" Everyone in the crew started clapping. They'd finished the promos and what would most likely be the cover for the record. It'd been 3 months since the decision to have the photo shoot before the recording process, it was an unusual way of going about things, but so far it seemed to be working. Haley was thrilled to be done, as they had started sitting her behind guitars, they were making her feel fat, even though she didn't look it at all. They were planning on releasing a double disk CD, featuring solo songs from both Chris and Haley, and a few duet songs. They both knew they wanted to move beyond the duet, but Maverick had been looking for a different act, and it was their opportunity to at least get into the business. Both were becoming rather disenchanted with the whole fame thing, they never expected it to be as cut and dry as it was. Play a crappy club gig, fake a smile for a photo shoot, and sit in meetings _forever_.

Haley had yet to tell Nathan about the little "slip up." She hadn't had the guts to tell Lucas either, even though she'd come so close several times. She still talked with Luke regularly on the phone. He was falling in love with Brooke, she could tell. Peyton hadn't heard from Jake, and Haley worried about her everyday. You can only go on so long just trying to survive, Haley could contest to that. She thought every once and a while about the letter Peyton had showed her that one night, but never even considered saying anything about it. Life was too confusing already without any new skeletons and hidden closets.

"I feel like omelets and ice cream," Haley stated she walked back with Chris to another to grab her stuff she had brought to the shoot.

"Haley, I'm seriously dying here, my stomach can't take all this random food anymore!"

"Yeah, yeah…" she looked over and stuck her tongue out at him. "You have a date with Julianna tonight anyway…" she replied.

"Shit! What time is it?" Chris started looking around frantically for a clock.

"It's only like 5:30." Haley picked up her stuff, but grabbed something off the buffet to eat before she left, she had barely gained a few pounds, but she was starving all the time.

"Damn it!" Chris grabbed his stuff and started to head towards the door.

"But you never meet her this early," Haley stated, stuffing food in her mouth.

"I know, but I had something special planned…" he trailed off as he left the room. "See ya later!" he called back before he was out of distance for her to be able to hear.

Haley just shrugged her shoulders, she had gotten used to being alone. She fell back onto the couch, she was exhausted. She pulled her cell phone out of her purse and held it in her hand. It had taken her a while to get past talking to Nathan, it had taken a lot of pain and a lot of struggle. She considered calling him again, just as she considered calling him hundreds of times before. She looked down and her hand fell to her stomach as a rush of fear passed over her. She hated feeling alone. She flipped open her phone and went to dial the number to the apartment…it didn't take her long to realize her phone must have run out of charge sometime during the day. She leaned her head back, either fate was giving her a hint, or she should have gone home a long time ago.

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Chris tried to see if he could grab a cab, because he knew he knew he was already late to meet Julianna. He had run home and changed, he didn't take a shower as his hair was still looking pretty good from their last photo shoot that day. He hated the promotional crap, but he knew it was part of the business.

After a few minutes without avail he hopped on the train and headed downtown to the South Street Seaport. He was able to transfer to the express without any wait, so he was making up time rather easily, and passed the Strand bookstore on his walk towards the Seaport after the subway ahead of when he thought he would.

"Jules," he walked up, meeting her in front of the gap along the row of stores, and kissed her for what felt like forever. "Sorry I'm late," he pulled away, holding her hand as they walked towards the pier.

"No, it's ok, I came early to look around at a few stores, and I ended up walking over here later than I planned," she held up two bags. "I missed you," she looked over at him, her hair blowing in the wind. He looked over at her, it almost seemed too perfect, how could his life be falling into place, and how could everything seem too cheesy even for the worst romantic comedy?

"I know, things have been way too hectic, but we're finally done with the marketing, and maybe now I can actually do something musical."

She laughed, "I love when you try to act like a distraught artist."

"Ha! Thanks a lot!" You want to eat at Il Porto tonight?" he always stumbled over any word that wasn't English, and Julianna always picked on him.

"It's Illlll Porto," she corrected his pronunciation. "Sure, I love the pasta there, and I haven't eaten there in forever."

He smiled coyly, it had been a while, their first date in fact, but he didn't want to ruin any surprises.

Walking into the restaurant, it was packed. Julianna looked up at Chris shrugging, giving him the sign that they could always just go somewhere else. "Hold on a sec," he walked over to the hostess, and asked her something. He started walking back over to Jules. "Guess we got lucky," he gestured for her to go ahead of him and meet the waiting hostess, ready to lead them to their table. He'd made a reservation earlier that day, he knew she'd want to go there.

"How was yesterday?" she asked after they were seated, not even seeming suspicious of the fact they had seemed to bypass the line.

"Eh, you know…marketing crap and stuff," he replied looking down at the menu.

"How's Haley?" she asked. Julianna and Haley had become rather close, but considering the age gap, it was kind of weird. Everyone was kind of feeling the age difference, but the ironic thing was it seemed Haley was older than everyone. Julianna, however, did have a lot of sympathy for Haley though, she herself had only known Chris for about five months, but she couldn't imagine not having him around.

Chris was silent for a few seconds, and when he finally looked up from the menu, Julianna quickly looked down, she didn't want to make him angry. She had felt the tension between the two in previous encounters, she didn't want to say Chris was inconvenienced by Haley being there, but she could tell he felt like he needed to get away. Haley could be an emotionally draining person, it was also probably hard for him dealing with the delays. He had worked so hard before he met Haley, but now so much of his career seemed to be intertwined in the actions of a 17 year old. It wasn't her that bothered him, it was just the situation. "I don't think I have an opinion anymore," he replied blankly. Julianna looked up from her menu waiting for him to continue, but when he didn't they both looked down at the menus deciding what to get in an uncomfortable silence that wasn't broken until the waiter walked over to take their order. As the waiter asked what they wanted, Chris got what he usually got at any Italian restaurant, lasagna. He ordered for Julianna, who always got the same thing, fettuccini alfredo. Even though they both seemed to always order the same thing, they still always seemed to look through the menu. He handed the menus over to the waiter and looked over at Julianna, she had a disappointed look on her face.

"Why do you always do that?" she looked over at him.

"What?" he asked smiling, he kind of thought she was joking.

"It's not funny. You always order for me, you always assume," she replied seriously.

"Well, you ordered the same thing on our first four dates to Italian restaurants, I guess I just assumed…" he trailed off, kind of confused about whether or not she was mad.

"What if I don't want to be predictable anymore? You can't assume I'll get the same thing forever!" She seemed to be getting extremely fired up over something trivial, she didn't normally do that.

"Well…sorry," he replied, defeated. He was pretty sure his plan for the rest of the night wasn't going to work out. He was starting to wonder if fate was leading him in a different direction.

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They finished dinner with what seemed like no new conflict. Julianna was just quiet for most of the time, as Chris tried to ask a few questions, but just gave up by the end. As they were leaving the restaurant and heading towards the edge of the pier near the water, the ten minute silence was broken.

"I'm moving to L.A." Julianna looked over at Chris for a reaction, but he just stared at the water. She bit her lip as her eyes filled with tears. "I'm sorry…" she tried to provoke any type of reaction from him.

He looked over at her, a blank stare. If his plans for the future hadn't already been devastated, they definitely were with what she just said. "Why?" he asked coldly, staring back out at the ocean as they stood on the pier.

"I got a job; it's a crappy one, but it's an opportunity to work in production as well as dance. You know how much both of those things mean to me…" she trailed off, the tears practically springing from her eyes, she hated how emotional she was.

"And I bet you expect me to wait around for you." He felt like he was losing the only thing he was sure about in his life. His music career was basically up in the air, and he didn't really have anyone to depend on if the plan failed. He was losing her, just when he was sure he wanted to keep her forever. It'd only been five months, but now it seemed like all forces were against him.

"Chris, don't do that," she replied weakly, kicking at the gate on the pier.

"You actually expect me to wait for you." He looked at her, trying to read her expression.

She didn't reply and they both looked away.

"How long have you known this?"

"2 weeks." She looked down, biting her lip.

Chris sighed and looked away, ticked off. "Were you just going to leave without ever telling me?" his volume to the "almost creating a scene" level.

"I knew I had another week left to tell you," she retaliated pleadingly.

"You leave next week?" He started to walk away, she obviously didn't care as much as he did.

"I would never walk away from you, so don't walk away from me." She tried to catch up with him.

"And moving cross country isn't walking away?" he turned back and asked her in a serious tone.

She shrugged, still trying to keep up.

"…You're right, it's running away," he snapped, walking away faster than before.

"Just give me a chance," she begged. He stopped for one minute. "Long-distance isn't giving up."

"Yeah, but moving away from someone who would love you for the rest of your life is." He disappeared into the group of people heading down the steps toward the subway.

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Chris opened the door to his apartment, and slammed it behind him. He brushed past Haley and her stupid questions as he headed toward his room. Slamming that door behind him, he pulled out a small black box from his pocket. He opened the box and stared at the small glistening stone and platinum band which lay neatly in the surrounding velvet.

He threw the box on the floor, the carpet ruining the effect. He looked at a picture Jules had placed in his room. It was the two of them in front of the skyline at night from the Brooklyn Bridge. He listened to the satisfying sound of the glass cracking as the frame landed in the trash.


	21. All These Things That I've Done

Ahhh! I know, its been so long! I've been so busy, but I do plan on finishing this story someday before I start writing another story about probably a more popular character pairing...but I think we all need a little variety...

anyway, If anyone is still with me, thank you! ) )

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"_**I've got soul, but I'm not a soldier." **_

"What's your deal tonight?" Haley asked Chris, but refusing to look up from the latest issue of _Seventeen _she was reading. Chris walked across the room after giving her a quick glare, and threw a bag of garbage by the door.

"Proof you can take every thing 'Seventeen' away from a teenager, but they'll always find their way back," Chris challenged as he stared at Haley until she looked up. "Maybe you should read this instead, to see all the 'great' publicity your receiving."" He threw a local New York entertainment paper down on top of the other magazine. Haley just looked up at him wide-eyed and confused.

All the sudden she started laughing. "I know what happened," she sneered. "Oh and by the way, I already read this, and there is no chance this 'Vanessa Carlton clone' would ever claim the 'future boyband-er' was the father of her baby, so you can dream on." She tossed the magazine back down the table in Chris' direction. "Julianna told you she's leaving. Believe me, I've been bracing for Hurricane Chris for almost two and a half weeks. So bring it on," she dared.

"Really?" He looked over at her, he had no fear of being beat at his own game. "Peyton slept with Nathan. How's that for hurricane hell?"

"What? You would have no way of knowing that, even if it was true."

"You should listen to the answering machine more often, or maybe stop just deleting your voicemail." He knew he'd beat her, but he was starting to regret what he'd said, but it didn't take long for his mind to revert back to the fact that Haley had know Jules was leaving before he did.

Tears filled Haley's eyes as she grabbed he sweatshirt from the back of her chair and headed towards the door. Before her hand reached for the doorknob, she turned around, tears visibly filling her eyes at this point. "You know, I thought this part of you left when I agreed to come to New York, but it turns out you're the same evil person you were in Tree Hill." She slammed the door behind her, leaving Chris to wallow in his own misery.

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The warm summer air blew through her hair as Haley stepped outside, breathing in deeply. Her three seconds of silence were broken by the violent ringing of her cell phone.

She quickly flipped open the phone, trying to stop the noise as fast as possible. "Hello?"

"Hey Haley!" Laughter could be heard along with two cheery voices. Haley knew it could only be two people, Brooke and Peyton. Speak of the devil. Haley considered just hanging up, but she wanted to see what the truth was; she had a sneaking suspicion Chris was lying, or was that just hope?

"Hey!" Haley replied, trying to fake a happy tone, when really she was really about to breakdown crying.

"Alright, so Brooke was too chicken to call you, but she's going to be in New York next week, and she wanted to visit you." Haley could hear Brooke pretending to yell at Peyton for calling her chicken. "And oh yeah, you have to say yes, because Brooke already stole the address from Lucas' room."

"Peyton!" Brooke shouted at her in the background.

"Sure," Haley replied with extreme hesitation. How could Brooke not notice she'd gained a good 10 to 15 pounds? Brooke was probably the most vain person Haley had ever met.

"I can't wait to see you tutor girl!" Brooke called in the background.

Peyton laughed, "I'll make sure to have Brooke call you later when she isn't being such a dork.

Haley started to feel more confident that Chris had made up the story just to piss her off, she was fairly sure Peyton would never call her like this if she was keeping a lie as big as sleeping with Nathan. However, Chris had succeeded in pissing her off, and she didn't feel like fueling the fire by forgiving him anytime soon.

"You ok?" Haley was jolted from thought yet again by Peyton's question.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Yeah, like she was fine.

"Call me later, I can't wait to hear about all of your rock star adventures! We all miss you here, I hope you know that." Way to get sentimental…

"I miss you guys too." What a lie, again. Well, sort of.

They hung up and Haley took a few conscious deep breaths, like the dirty city air was going to somehow heal the internal pain. She looked down at her illuminated cell phone and considered calling Nathan. She looked around at the darkness and realized she would have to swallow her pride and return to the apartment, she wasn't going anywhere alone at 10 o'clock at night. She turned around to head back into the building when her cell phone started ringing, again.

"What the…" she muttered as she flipped open the phone to see who it was. A smirk came across her face as she read the screen. "Oh this is too fun," she muttered.

"Hello?" she answered, pretending she had no idea who it was.

"Haley," the voice replied knowing well that she knew who it was. "Where are you? You do know it's after ten, right?"

"Well Chris," she laughed, he was actually acting concerned. "I'm actually headed towards Central Park, I'll be back in an hour or so," she joked, but kept a steady convincing voice.

"Haley, I wouldn't even go there at night! Are you insane?" Haley was starting to feel like he was being just as sarcastic as she was.

"Well, you're scrawny and dress like you ran into the Salvation Army 5 minutes before it closed and chose your entire wardrobe. I think you'd get beat up before me."

"Hold on, I think there is a dying animal outside my window." Bring on the sarcasm. There was a pause as she looked up waiting for him to open the window. "Oh wait, your laugh is just that high pitched shrieking!" he mocked peaking his head outside the window. "So much for buying your weekly supply of pot in Central Park, huh?" he mocked.

"Oh shut up already!" She snapped her phone shut and opened the heavy door to the apartment building an made her way back up the 2 flights of stairs. By the time she got to the top she was practically wheezing, talk about out of shape. "I know you're lying and I'm ready for an apology," she stated between breaths.

"Haley, I wasn't lying about what I said before, and I don't take it back." He grabbed a bottle of water and headed back to his room, he had to return to trying to salvage his relationship into at least a few good songs.

Haley wandered back to her bedroom a few seconds after Chris left. She grabbed a bead from her jewelry box. Before she left her braceletwiht Nathanwhen she 'left' him, she untied the bracelet and took a single pink, heart-shaped bead from the bracelet. She held the bead tightly in her hand as she dialed Nathan's number, _her _number.

"Hello?" Nathan picked up. Haley silently congratulated herself on never getting Caller ID for the apartment.

"Nathan?" She waited to hear the click of the phone being hung up, but it never came.

"If you're worried about your precious pearls from your mom, I'm sending them with Brooke, so you don't have to get all rock star about it." 'Rock star' was turning into a more belittling phrase than 'tutor girl'.

"Nathan, I'm not calling about that," she cut off, she didn't know where to go from there.

"Oh wait, I know what your calling about," he replied bitterly. Haley was ready for the storm, yet again. "You know, you never changed your insurance address." He knew she knew what he was talking about.

"Shit," Haley muttered. She had totally forgotten about the mail from the insurance company for the numerous doctors she had visited in the previous months, because she just paid this bills she received directly from the doctors' offices. She hadn't even thought about the pieces of mail from the insurance company, informing her that basically nothing was covered by her insurance, that must have been flooding the apartment back in Tree Hill.

"I'm not stupid, Haley."

"I'm not either, I've heard about your little antics. Or how about infidelities?" she sneered.

Nathan laughed, he almost sounded evil enough to be Dan.

"Sleeping with your wife's best friend is all the sudden a form of revenge. You know what, you really are a Scott," she snapped.

"All the sudden you're my wife, and Peyton is your best friend. Maybe I missed something."

"So does Peyton only sleep with teenage fathers now?" Cheap shot, maybe, but Haley didn't seem to be above anything at that point.

"She was around before you, ya know. And look at that, she's still around, unlike certain people I know, or maybe accidentally married."

"Don't worry, it was an accident for me, a moment of clarity for you possibly." She didn't want him to steal her last threads of dignity.

"Just tell me when and where to send the check." Haley's stomach turned at such another "Dan" comment.

"I don't want your money."

"Don't give me your bullshit Haley. Your love-sick crap, because you should see the truth by now. We're through, you can go back to playing house with your rock-star boyfriend, but I refuse to believe any of the crap you tell me now. I gave up on loving you the minute you left, and before there's proof the kid is even mine, you can have that perfect little family you always dreamed about with Chris, and even keep your precious little 'music career'." Nathan slammed down the phone, but Haley stayed on the line in shock until the dial tone returned.


	22. Numbness for Sound

Thank you very much for the review amateurauthor!

...Let's see, sorry if I mess up any show facts, I don't know every little in and out One Tree Hill, I'm bad with details!

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"_**Cold in the sun, my feet underground, a pale windless city, a numbness for sound."**_

Haley tried to quickly convince herself that being emotional wasn't going to solve anything. She even tried to tell herself that she had moved on from Tree Hill, however, without Tree Hill she could only count her total amount of friends on one hand.

She quickly picked up her cell to call her mother, the one person who had loved her unconditionally since the day she was born. She'd offered Haley support when she made the decision to get married, but didn't treat her like a child who had been warned when her marriage was on the rocks. When Haley told her she was pregnant, her mother thankfully didn't judge her, nor abandon her. She promised Haley that she and Jimmy (Haley's father) would make a detour to New York for however long was necessary when the baby was born. They would stay with Haley's Aunt Cecilia, a wild-child who had never married, but fell in love with the art and culture of New York City. Haley had visited her several times over the past several months.

Haley talked with her mom for almost an hour. Her parents were driving through Kansas, so they of course her mom had time to talk.

Lydia was proud of all of her daughters, even if she could never seem to keep a leash on all of them. Her eldest, Anna, graduated from the Medical School at Boston University the previous year. She made the spur of the moment decision to join "Medecins Sans Frontieres" (doctors without borders) as she liked to call it in her best French accent. While Lydia worried about Anna's health, as she spent such a great deal of time in extremely disease-stricken countries, she knew her daughter had followed her dream to truly help people.

Dana, the second oldest, had a case of pneumonia when she was just a baby, and lost a considerable amount her hearing due to a spiking fever. While Dana was babied by her mother, she refused to let the rest of the world treat her like that. She graduated at the top of her class at both Tree Hill High School and Emery College. She was a true southern girl who desired a true southern family. She fell in love during college, and even started her family before she graduated. Haley always looked up to her older sister's perfect family, but also respected the effort Dana put into her marriage and now career as a journalist for a newspaper in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Lydia's third child, Taylor, was like a clone of Lydia's sister Cecilia. Even though Taylor did not share Cecilia's same passion for art, she did share her same passion for life. Taylor opted out of the college path halfway through her sophomore year at a local community college. Education was never her strongpoint, she instead decided to pursue her two passions: drinking large amounts of alcohol and boys. Lydia avoided the hands-off method of parenting with Taylor, but she always found that no matter how far Taylor managed to go beyond the boundaries, she always managed to find her way back unscathed. While Dana, Anna, and Haley despised their sister's immaturity, Lydia knew that Taylor would someday find her place, just the way Cecilia had.

Then came Haley. Jimmy and Lydia always joked that Haley was to be their last attempt at perfection, even though they new all their girls were perfect. In between when Taylor was born and when Haley was born, Lydia had two miscarriages. When Haley was born three days before Christmas, Lydia named her Haley, meaning "hero," because she knew the little girl would always be able to raise her spirits.

Haley had a little bit of everyone in her. She had her father's intelligence, her mother's timid nature, and her Aunt Cecilia's wild streak in her. While Haley was far from a tomboy, she was the closest of all of her sisters. She was afraid to play in the dirt, but she never had a knack for kicking a soccer ball. Lydia taught Haley, just as she did the rest of her girls, the art of cooking, which Haley found she excelled at. Lydia never babied Haley the way she did Dana, but mostly looked at her as an extremely close friend. While the parenting magazines may have always said "you're not your child's friend, but their parent," Haley's friendship with her mother gave her someone to look up to. Haley would tell her mom when she was little how she wanted to grow up and fall in love just like her mother. She wanted a big family, hopefully not all boys.

Lydia always taught her daughters to be strong, a necessity when raising all daughters. She refused to allow her daughters to be run by men, and suggested that Haley not wallow in her own sorrow. She had a promising career, and many people who loved her. Haley whined to her mother for a few more minutes until either her mother had gotten sick of it, she and her dad were stopping for the night. Haley thanked her mom and told her how she couldn't wait to see her. Her mom told her she loved her over and over again, and told her to be careful.

Haley hung up and looked at her clock, 11:35. She could hear the faint sound of a guitar, and decided to join the pity party next door. She listened at the door before she opened it, she heard Chris sigh and set down his guitar again. She opened the door a little, "Hey," she whispered. Chris just looked up at her from the sheet of paper. "I'm sorry, I should have believed you," she admitted.

"Why don't you just go mope about your horrible life." He still didn't look up from what he was writing.

"Actually, I think I'm done moping," she waited for him to look up, but still no luck. "Maybe you should stop moping too."

"And ruin the creative run I'm on, hell no." He looked back down at the piece of paper. An awkward silence fell over the room. "You're up tomorrow for the first day of recording, I hope you're ready. I'm going to start going over a few things with Andrew down at the other studio."

"Yeah, I guess I'm ready, kind of nervous, but ready. Then again, I've never really recorded without…" she paused. "I've never really recorded without you I guess."

"I'll meet you there during the day sometime," he replied.

"Promise?"

He looked up at her and started laughing, "I promise."


	23. Weight of it All

I missed you Marit:) :) You are by far my favorite person on the site and I thank you so much sticking with me! you have no idea how much that means to me!

Rose- I think I posted a chapter right when I got your reviews, so I don't know if you read the second last chapter, but thank you so much for your review.

Falconwolff- I don't know if you'll get this story, because it's probably not a story that's up your alley couples-wise, but I thank you so much for your reviews!

And Tutorgirl- I love your stories, so it was an honor to have a review from you! Thank you!

PS: I didn't have a ton of time to edit this chapter, and I've been really busy with school and such, but I read through it really quick. I've never been a big editor.

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"_**I'll show you where the rain gets in and I'll show you hurricanes and they way that summer fades underneath the weight of it all."**_

"Damn it!" Haley looked down at her watch and pulled the headphones off her head.

"What? We were about to do another take!" one of the random techs shouted through the glass at the recording studio.

"I told you, I'm meeting someone at 4, it's already 3:45!" The past week of recording had been hectic. Haley felt like she was getting more and more tired. On a good day she could get a few good takes of each song, but unless Chris was there, she could never get the song to be just perfect. However, if she kept up the pace she was at, she could have the entire record done by the end of the month. Except, her throat was sore after only a week.

Though she couldn't hear it through the thick glass of the recording booth, Joey dramatically sighed. "Fine we'll stop early today, but I expect at least a full track laydown tomorrow."

"Alright," she called back as she grabbed or jacket and was out the door.

During her walk back to the apartment and the subway ride, she started to think about the bigger picture, her usual "walk and worry." She was feeling rather dismal about her situation, as usual.

Wouldn't we all?

She had watched so many Park avenue mothers and compared them to the typical Tree Hill parents. They looked distant, like a baby was their new accessory that they could just throw at the nanny when they were done with it as soon as they got back to their extravagant penthouses. At least parents in Tree Hill were forced to attend weekly PTA meetings and soccer games. She'd always dreamed of having big family, and turning into the perfect Tree Hill mom, but now she felt like she was turning into a Park Avenue mom already. She didn't feel one bit maternal, and wasn't even looking forward to having a little boy or girl to dress up and teach about the world. In fact, she was scared as hell. What if she could never be the mother her mother was to her? How could she take care of someone when she still needed someone to take care of her?

As her mind wandered off, she started to wonder if Brooke would even show. She'd only talked to her once during the week, and she had managed to dodge every other Tree Hill call. She wondered if Nathan had told the whole world she was pregnant yet, or if she was going to have to spill the beans to Brooke. Either way she wasn't looking forward to it.

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Haley opened the door to her apartment, she couldn't wait to just sit down for a few minutes.

"Hey tutor girl!" a familiar voice called from the living room.

"Here we go," Haley muttered to herself. "Hey Brooke!" Haley replied loudly, with obviously fake enthusiasm as she threw down her keys on the counter and walked into the living room. She walked over to give Brooke a hug, "How did you get in here anyway?"

"I'm still here!" Chris called from the bathroom as he put the finishing touches on his hair and walked out.

"How long are you gonna be stuck living with moody over there," Brooke whispered. "He didn't even hit on me when I he let me in!"

Haley laughed at how Brooke hadn't changed, and realized how well Brooke and Lucas fit together. "Woah tutor girl, you may want to lay off the twinkies for a few days, what happened to you?"

Haley gave Brooke a minute, she knew she wasn't that dense and would figure it out, even if it took a minute. At least she didn't know all of Tree Hill knew her current predicament. Heck, if Brooke didn't know, it was likely that no one knew.

"Wait, tutor girl?" Brooke's mouth was agape. "No way!" she exclaimed.

"Way," Haley replied in a half sarcastic tone.

Brooke hugged her giddily. "This is too awesome! I'm gonna be an aunt! I can't wait to tell Lucas!"

Haley sighed deeply, contemplating if it was probable that Lucas already knew. Probable.

Chris walked towards the door and grabbed his guitar, both girls just stared at him. He looked up, "What?" he asked defensively.

"I thought you were coming to the studio today, I couldn't even get one good take," Haley practically whined.

"I can't be there every minute of the day, you'll get used to it eventually."

Maybe she didn't want to get used to it.

Chris was about to leave when he noticed Brooke was still staring. "What?" he asked in a half-joking, half-harsh tone.

"Nothing, you just really look cute in those jeans," Brooke replied in her cheesy, flirty voice.

Chris just shook his head and left. Six months ago, a hot girl throwing herself at him would have been a dream.

"By the way Brooke, he has a girlfriend," Haley added as Brooke made her last attempts at being noticed.

Wait, since when was Brooke interested in musicians? We'll just call it an insecurity for now.

"And that better not be you tutor girl!" Brooke mocked, trying to brush of f the fact that she had been denied for the first time in forever. "So, how long do I have to plan the baby shower extravaganza of the year?" Brooke had already started going through her contact list on her cell phone.

"Brooke, you can't tell all of Tree Hill!" Haley begged, but weakly.

"Oh come on Haley! This is bigger than the wedding!" Brooke was halfway through a text message.

"Brooke, seriously, no!" Haley pushed Brooke's phone down so she couldn't finish the text. Haley's tone was getting serious, but Brooke didn't seem to be picking up on it. "Listen, if this turns out anything like the wedding did six months later, I think I should give up now. You know I love you and your party personality Brooke, but you have to keep this a secret. I don't want to be the gossip of Tree Hill yet again." Haley explained seriously.

Brooke closed her cell phone and gave Haley hug. "I won't tell anyone," she whispered mid-hug.

Brooke keep a secret? And the secrets and lies just never end.


	24. Move Along

Short one...but I'm hoping to catch up and finish this thing soon, because I think I've scared off any potential readers with the 24 chapter mark. Anyway, we'll see how much further this thing goes!

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"_**So a day when you've lost yourself completely, could be a night when your life ends." **_

"Are you tired already tutor girl?" Brooke asked, keeping up a frantic pace as Haley started to lag behind. Brooke was determined to hit every store before she left the city.

"You try and carry around an extra twenty pounds, and by that I mean all your shopping bags…" she trailed off trying to catch up. "Take some of these already!"

"Alright already, we can take a break I guess," she took the bags from Haley, and shut her cell phone. She had been secretly texting half of Tree Hill for the past hour about a certain piece of juicy gossip just 5 hours north.

It took two tables space to set down all of Brooke's shopping bags at the Café down the street.

"Listen Tutor Girl…" Brooke handed Haley her iced tea and sat down next to her amidst the shopping bags. "I need to talk to you about something."

Like that was news to Haley.

"You're going to have to come back to Tree Hill eventually, you know that right?"

The color flushed from Haley's face, along with her expression. Since when was Brooke playing dictator of the universe. "Actually, I don't," Haley replied, leaving Brooke expressionless this time. "I have nothing left there, and no one there, so why would I even thing of going back?"

"What about Nathan?"

Haley knew Brooke was fully aware of the charade that was going on in Tree Hill. The "don't let Haley know game," and she wasn't falling for it.

"You can't pretend nothing happened, Haley."

That seemed to be the mantra she had been hearing for quite a while. "Everyone else is," Haley replied, giving Brooke the eye. "Don't pretend Brooke, I know the truth."

"He still loves you," Brooke replied with all the sincerity she could muster.

"Too bad, I hear unrequited love is the worst," she replied, her words broken and choked as she held back tears. She still loved him too, but for some reason she knew deep down in her heart he didn't love her back anymore. Haley started to get up from the table, "Listen Brooke, I have a recording session at 8 tomorrow. You understand, right?"

She didn't even wait for Brooke's reply. She gave her a half-hearted good-bye and turned for the door just as the tears started to fall. She never thought Brooke would be her last good-bye to Tree Hill, but she just wanted all the pain to go away. She wanted to stop pretending, she wanted to stop being lied to.

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She left the apartment in a rush the next morning. She'd overslept, her mind a mess. She remembered the conversation with Brooke as she rushed down the stairs. Her head started to spin as she crossed the street near the studio. She rushed to cross the street at the tail end of a red light just as it was about to turn green. She made it halfway across the street when she glanced to her right. Her heart skipped a beat when she realized there was nothing she could do.

At least now all the spinning would stop.


	25. Bring Back the Sun

Another short one, but at least it's something!

Sorry for the cliffhanger.

Thank you Falconwolf and Haley() for the reviews! I appreciate them greatly, just to know someone is still reading!

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"_**And I know, I know I failed you." **_

She remembered the cold ground. The screaming. The bright lights. The voices. They wouldn't stop talking. She couldn't stand up. She couldn't move. It was like her greatest fear coming to life. Everyone started to surround her, she heard them shouting about someone else being hurt. Her heart started to race as she wondered what was going to happen to her. Why were they all just standing and staring? Why weren't they helping her! She wanted to ask for help, but she couldn't form the words. Her mind started to drift as she wondered how mad Joey was going to be, she threw away the thought when she remembered she could care less what Joey thought.

She wondered what would happen to Nathan? What about the baby? Her heart was racing faster. She thought she heard sirens in the distance. The crowd of people must have been getting bigger, because they getting closer and closer. They crowded her space, but no one was helping her! A weak "help" escaped her lips, and that was the last thing she could remember.

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She started to stir from sleep, the horrific images made her want to scream. She tugged at the tight worn cotton sheets as her eyes fought off the bright lights and beeping.

"Shhhh," someone grabbed her arm.

Adjusting to the bright lights, she opened her eyes to someone she never expected to see, Taylor.

"Hey little sis," Taylor gave a half smile, she looked afraid, but she also looked relieved.

"What happ…" Haley trailed off trying sit up, but Taylor gently held her down.

"The doctor said it's bad for you to sit up," Taylor stated matter-of-factly, trying to act strong and play "big sister" to the best of her ability.

"What happened Taylor?" Haley's eyes were filled with tears.

Taylor started to cry as she informed Haley of the accident. A car had hit her, however a bicyclist who had been riding by and also got hit had dampened the force as the driver veered to the left, just barely hitting Haley. The bicyclist was okay, and little did he know, probably saved a young girl's life. The police had called her mother after doing an ID search. Her mother and father were coming, but they had frantically called Aunt Cecilia's, where Taylor was staying while she worked another dead-end job. She hugged Haley, both girls had tears streaming down their cheeks.

"Oh my god!" Haley cried, a look of fear on her face as she grabbed her stomach, was the baby ok?

"Haley, calm down," she whispered. "He's ok."

"He?" Haley had wanted to keep whether or not it was a boy or a girl a surprise, but now it was the most reassuring thing anyone could have ever told her.

"Yeah," Taylor smiled at her little sister. "Now go back to sleep, I have a surprise that'll be ready for you in a few hours.

Come to think of it, she was feeling a little tired, and her head hurt. A lot. "Tay?" Haley whispered as she started to fall asleep. "Thank you…"

Her sister squeezed her hand. "No problem…" she whispered in reply.

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"Haley…" Taylor nudged Haley to try and get her to wake up. It was 5 o'clock, the evening of the accident, and Taylor only had a few more hours to unveil her surprise.

"Please Tay, my head is killing me," Haley woke up, the bright lights hitting her and creating the worst hangover-like headache. Then she remembered where she was.

"Remember your surprise?" Taylor tried to cheer her up, though Haley had a long day and wasn't falling for it. Her entire body hurt, and even though she only had a few cuts to prove her pain, every time she moved the expression on her face gave it away.

"Please can it wait for a while, I know I'm going to be here for a while, I could tell by the look on your face earlier." She lied back down trying to fall asleep again.

"Haley, you may want to stay awake, I think you'll like this surprise," Taylor gave her a devious smile as she walked to the door calling down the hall to someone. Haley fought to keep her eyes open. Taylor left the room, and walked down the hallway to the left. Haley glanced across the room towards the window. She wondered what time it was, what day it was for that manner.

"Hales?" the voice startled her from thought as she glanced in the other direction towards the doorway. His tall figure, bright eyes, and weak smile stood there with a bouquet of pink flowers, just waiting for a reaction.

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ha...gotcha...AGAIN! Hopefully a longer update next time, but if not, at least quicker! 


	26. Stop the World

mini-chapter to assist in the segway to a new format to move this thing along already!Next chapter shouldbe up shortly!

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_**"You live in the truth, and I know I can't fake it."**_

"Nathan?" Haley's voice cracked has he walked towards her.

"Hey," he half-smiled and took a few more steps into the room.

"You must be Taylor's little surprise."

"Yeah, we'll see if I can live up to that."

Haley was nervous. She hated sarcasm, and she knew Nathan never used it without reason.

"I'm sorry Haley, I made a mistake," he sat down in the chair next to the bed, his death grip on the small bouquet of flowers never ceasing.

"For some reason I have a feeling you mean I made a mistake." She could feel the tears forming in her eyes, she wondered how she could have any left.

"No, we made a mistake. We weren't ready. Maybe we just tried to fill the things we were missing with commitment."

"So you're saying this is it, once and for all. You give up?" she wasn't letting go without him admitting his half of the responsibility, no matter how guilty it would make her feel later.

"Don't be dramatic Haley."

"Typical. I don't know why I didn't trust Lucas from the beginning."

"Listen, I'm not my dad, ok?" he shouted, getting defensive.

A nurse popped her head in the room, could we please keep it down." The nurse walked across the room towards Haley, "You know you're not supposed to be lying down. I'm going to have to ask that your visitor leave, you need your rest." She started to leave the room before Haley had time to protest. "Now," she stated sternly as she left the room.

"I'll call you, I promise. You're not alone Hales." Nathan took the opportunity to finish the conversation the only way he knew, how everyone had left him before. He set the flowers down next to another vase and gave Haley a kiss on the cheek, but she didn't even move.

She didn't want pity, she just didn't want everyone to walk away. A taste of her own medicine maybe?


	27. As Lovers Go

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This is turning into my little daily installment! haha

Falconwolf- yeah, a couple chapters abck Nathan did cheat on Haley with Peyton. We'll see where it heads from here...but of course, thank you for your review!

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**_"You've got wits, you've got looks, you've got passion but are you brave enough to leave with me tonight?"_**

Across the country in LA:

He'd never been the hopeless romantic before he'd met her. He would never have flown 3000 miles for any other girl. He'd left that morning. Nine hours before he had been at home in New York, writing a note to Haley, telling her he'd be back in a few days. He'd caught a cab to the airport, and spent the 30 minute drive gazing out the window. An hour in the airport, 4 and a half hours on a plane. Staring around LAX Airport was like being stuck in time. It felt like everyone was moving so much faster, but he just a stood there looking for a familiar face. A specific familiar face.

There'd been that falling out. The day she'd left, moved onto something greater. He'd secretly wished she'd come back, realizing what she had left behind. He thought she was the one, he wanted her to be the one.

It didn't take him too long to find her. She was on the other side of baggage claim, she hadn't seen him yet, and he just watched her contently. He'd missed her more than anything. His mind flashed back to their last date, when she told him she was leaving. He was going to ask her to marry him that day, but he never got the chance, she had broken his heart 10 minutes too soon, or maybe right on time in this case. They talked on the phone for the previous month or so, but he knew their relationship couldn't survive on short phone calls alone. He knew she didn't like LA very much, or at all for that matter, he knew something was wrong when she told him to meet her at LAX the next day. She said a ticket would be at the airport. It wasn't like her to make demands, short notice at that. Something was wrong, and he knew it.

She looked over. Neither of them moved. She looked thinner, tired, and overall like she had fallen to the evils of LA. He started to walk over to her. She had luggage, where could she possibly be going now? As he approached her, he could tell she looked different. She was definitely thinner, and her skin was pale and not as vibrant, and her eyes were sunken. To put it simply, she looked broken. She hugged him, out of fear more than love. Pulling away from the hug she held back tears.

"I'm moving back to New York," she choked. "I…I just can't make the trip alone."

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Back in New York:

"I'm sorry." Taylor walked into Haley's hospital room. "I didn't know how things were," she added.

"You didn't know."

"I know, but I should have found out. I honestly didn't know until I talked to her."

"Who?" Haley broke her gaze from the window.

"The girl in the waiting room."

"Who?"

"I don't know, she was sketching in the waiting room. She said she was friends with Nathan, but by the fact told her he loved her before he came to talk to you, I can guess it's more than that."

Haley leaned back and shut her eyes. She was too tired to cry, and she knew it wouldn't change anything anyway.

Taylor left the room, there wasn't anymore apologizing she could do. Her shoulder hurt as she reached for the nurse call button. She wanted to know when she could leave the stark white room. But for now, all she could dream was if it had all ended that morning, once and for all.

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PS: Reviews make me like to write longer chapters more frequently! So R&R! 


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